


A Tale of Magic

by Briar_Rose7



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Season 3B AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2018-11-17 07:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11271294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briar_Rose7/pseuds/Briar_Rose7
Summary: Rumplestiltskin gives his life to stop Pan, but that's not the end of the struggle for his family; it's just the beginning.A rewriting of S3B that centers around Belle, Rumplestiltskin and Neal, and tries to fix all that, in my opinion, A&E got wrong.





	1. Going Home

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been going around my brain for longer than I can remember. I'm very very attached to it, but I'm also extremely scared, because it's a massive work and I really don't know if I can tackle it. I do want to try, because I love it, and I promise I'll do my best to do justice to it.  
> This is barely more than a prologue, but the next chapters should be much longer. There will be one chapter for every episode, but I offer no guarantee on how often this will be updated.  
> For the record, since this starts off from 3x11, all flashbacks shown after that episode are considered null until proven otherwise; this includes the Rumbelle flashback from 3x11, which was cute but was in contrast with Skin Deep. Also, when Pan freezes everyone, there's Ruby instead of Granny with them.  
> I hope you'll like this fic just as much as I do.
> 
> Infinite thanks to [still-searching47](http://still-searching47.tumblr.com), my amazing beta who also helps me through all of my doubts and insecurities.

“You see, the only way for you to die, is if we both die. And now... now, I am ready.”

The scream of horror never left Belle’s throat. She was paralyzed, frozen by a spell that left her motionless and powerless as the man she loved ran a dagger through his own chest. He was saving them all, but at a price that Belle would have never been willing to pay. He couldn’t die, not now, not when everything was finally going well, not when their happy ending seemed just in reach. 

She didn’t hear most of what Rumplestiltskin and Pan said next, but it didn’t matter, nothing mattered anymore, because one moment later there was a flash of light, and her lover was gone.

The spell holding her vanished, and she fell to the ground, unable to bear the horror of what had just happened. It was like her chest was being torn apart, and she couldn’t see or hear or feel anything that wasn’t pain.

“No…” she whimpered, as if she could deny the truth, as if she could bring him back by sheer stubbornness. “Rumple! He’s… he’s gone.”

It hurt. It hurt so much to say it, and she wondered how could her heart still beat, how could her lungs still work when every breath she took was a torment. Rumplestiltskin’s last declaration of love echoed in her brain, making everything more difficult. He had died for her and Bae, she knew that much, and she hated herself for it. He had died to protect her because she wasn’t strong enough.

Soft arms wrapped around her, bringing her back to reality. Ruby was hugging her, holding her so tight that it was almost painful, whispering in her ears words that Belle didn’t understand. Belle clung to her friend, her chest racked by sobs, and she cried her eyes out on Ruby’s shoulder. 

Aside from Belle and Ruby, it was like everyone else was still under the freezing spell. They had barely moved at all, too shocked to talk; it was Emma who finally broke the silence, casting a worried glance at Neal. 

“I’m so sorry,” she said tentatively.

This wasn’t the first time in her life she had to offer her condolences to someone, but it was the first time she didn’t even know how she felt about it. Everything had happened so quickly that she was still having a hard time believing it, and she knew that it must be even harder for Neal. 

“My father did what he had to do,” Neal replied, his voice almost emotionless. “He saved us.”

Neal didn’t know how to feel either. There was some sick part of him that wanted to laugh; hysterical laughter was bubbling inside of him, a mirthless acknowledgement of life’s special kind of irony. His father had just died. Rumplestiltskin had died because he’d done what Baelfire had always pleaded him to do, _the selfless thing_. After so much pain, so much separation, this was all the gratification they were given? Rumplestiltskin had died doing the right thing, but now it didn’t feel right at all.

Regina was shocked as well. She’d wished death on Rumplestiltskin so many times, and with remarkable fervor, yet she’d never truly believed that she would live to see the day he died. For better or for worse, Rumplestiltskin had been a constant presence throughout most of her life, and suddenly she felt like there was yet another hole in her heart.

The only thing left of him and his father was the scroll, and she picked it up, reassuring Mary Margaret that yes, she was fine. 

“Regina, my father just gave his life for us. Don’t let him die in vain.”

Neal’s voice sounded distant to her ears, and she couldn’t focus on the meaning of his words. 

“Regina?” he called her again. 

“What?” she snapped.

“We’re here for a reason, love. Pan,” Hook chimed in. 

“He’s dead,” Regina rebutted. 

“His curse remains,” Hook explained. “Can you stop it, or shall we all start preparing our souls? 'Cause mine is gonna take some time.”

Regina felt her blood run cold. She knew the price she’d have to pay to stop the curse, and she didn’t want to pay it. She would, of course, but she’d hoped so badly that Rumplestiltskin’s death would spare her. _Villains don’t get happy endings_ , her old teacher had said; he had just died to atone for his sins, and now it was her turn. All of her struggles, all of her hope, crushed to nothing because of her past wrongdoings.

As panic started creeping around, Regina turned to face the others, and for the first time in years, she was resigned, almost calm; she wasn’t fighting against her fate anymore.

She led them all to the townline, desperate to prolong her time with Henry as much as possible. She truly was happy that Henry wouldn’t be alone, and her smile was watery but sincere as she gifted Emma and her son with new memories, _happy_ memories, of a life spent together. Many broken hearts were aligned at the townline next to her. Belle was still sobbing quietly, supported by Archie and Ruby. Neal, who’d lost his father, the woman he loved and his son in the span of a few minutes, was somehow holding himself together, but his expression was strangely blank, like the life had been sucked out of him.

As for herself, Regina still had something to do before she could give in to her despair. She tore the scroll apart, and after casting one last glance at the yellow bug, she turned around to face the curse that was now revolting against its own caster. The gloomy cloud of magic changed color as Regina undid her own spell, and when the smoke eventually engulfed her, she surrendered herself to it, a tiny part of her hoping that it would take away her memories as well, and spare her the pain of separation. 

In the blink of an eye, Storybrooke and its inhabitants were gone, like a dream vanishing at the first light of day.

* * *

_New York City, 9 months later._

“Mom, you forgot something,” Henry told Emma as he sat down for breakfast. 

“Right, cinnamon. There you go,” she said, handing him the sprinkler. 

She sat down across from her son, and they clinked their cups of hot cocoa before starting to eat. Emma loved their morning routine, and one of the many perks of her job was that she got the chance to enjoy these quiet breakfasts with her son, to spend time with him without any concern about being late for work. Sure, sometimes she had to spend entire nights out, and that had been a serious challenge in past years, but all things considered, as a single mother she could have fared far worse.

A knocking on the door made both Emma and Henry look up from their plates in surprise. 

“Someone coming over?” he asked her. 

“No,” Emma answered, perplexed. 

She couldn’t think of anyone who could be knocking at their door at this time in the morning; the neighbors she was friendly with were probably already at work, she wasn’t waiting for a delivery, and she didn’t have any close friends that would turn to her first in case of emergency. 

By the time she opened the door, she had already come up with a dozen of possibilities, each more absurd than the other. Not even in a million years, however, could she have guessed what was waiting for her on the other side of that door. 

“Hey,” he said, waving his hand at her like the past twelve years hadn’t happened. 

Emma stared at him, speechless, as old wounds she’d long believed closed started bleeding again. Without another word, she slammed the door closed in Neal’s face. 


	2. New York City Serenade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our beloved fairytale characters need to find their place again in the Enchanted Forest, while Neal needs to convince Emma that fairytales are real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finally managed to write chapter 2. I truly hope someone is still interested in this, because I sure as hell am!

The first thing that crossed Belle’s mind once the purple smoke dissipated was that she was cold. The sun was high in the sky, but the harsh wind seemed to seep into her bones, and she distractedly tried to wrap her jacket tighter around herself, only to realize she didn’t have a jacket anymore.

“Oh my God, what are you wearing?” Ruby asked her, her eyes widening in shock.

Having just watched Rumplestiltskin die in front of her eyes, Belle had thought herself unable to feel any more pain. As she took her appearance in, however, she felt her stomach churn unpleasantly, as fresh tears of anger and anguish formed in her eyes.

“This… this is what I was wearing when the Dark Curse hit,” she managed to say, her voice once again choked with emotion.

That dress had been just another way for Regina to torment her. It was too thin, doing nothing to protect her from the cold, and its impossible slit constantly exposed her to the guards’ leering. She’d worn it for so long that it had worn out in many points, and the fabric was torn on her wrists, where she’d been chained. Being forced into this ragged and dirty dress made Belle feel even more helpless and vulnerable than she already did; she’d lost so much time she could have spent with Rumplestiltskin because she hadn’t been strong enough to escape the Queen’s castle, and now she’d lost him altogether because she hadn’t been strong enough to protect him.

Ruby rushed to hug her before Belle could even start crying, then took her red cape off to drape it over Belle’s shoulders. Ruby kept stroking her back and arms, both to console her and to warm her up; meanwhile, she tried to keep an eye on all that was going on around them. Most people were looking around in confusion, and Ruby startled when Archie flew in front of her face, once again in cricket form; she wasn’t used to seeing him like this anymore. Quickly, he told her that not everyone in Storybrooke had reappeared in the same spot as them, and Snow and David were already trying to to organize search parties; when Ruby looked at them, however, she felt her heart miss a beat. Both of their clothes were stained with blood, and bile rose in her throat as she was reminded of how it all began, of the day Regina had decided to ruin their lives, and how much pain they’d all endured because of her.

The object of her resentment was standing a few feet away from everyone else, and if Ruby hadn’t just been reminded of all she’d done to them, she would have felt sorry for her. Regina’s eyes were full of sadness, and she glanced around awkwardly, still not at ease with Snow and David talking to her like she were a friend, especially now that their bloodied clothes reminded everyone of how much pain she’d caused to all present in the past three decades. Even though she was dressed in her full Evil Queen attire, she looked so different from the crazed woman who had once come to curse them all.

Ruby was trying to take all of this in, while also consoling Belle, and she was so distracted that she failed to notice a very distinct, pungent smell coming closer at an alarming rate. When she realized her mistake, it was already too late: she didn’t even have time to scream before the ogre reached their clearing.

* * *

“Emma, I know how it must feel for you, but please open this door. I swear I can explain,” Neal begged from behind her apartment’s door.

“I don’t need any explanations from you, I don’t _want_ any explanations from you. Go away and disappear from my life. It shouldn’t be difficult for you,” Emma bit back, finding it increasingly difficult to control the note of hysteria in her voice.

The longer Neal stayed there, the higher the risk of Henry finding out who he really was, and if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that Neal didn’t deserve one single second with her son. Henry was a kind boy, he’d give his father a chance, and in return Neal would teach him to lie, steal, and live on the road. Then eventually he’d leave and break Henry’s heart. She had to protect her child.

“Please, I just want to talk to you, that’s all. I have something important to tell you, something about your family,” he insisted.

“My family is right here,” Emma rebutted. A _nd you’re not part of it_ , she thought bitterly.

“I’m talking about your parents. You’ve always wanted to know them, and now I can help you with that,” he promised.

“Liar.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but please, just give me a chance to talk to you,” he begged again.

“You seem to be talking right now,” Emma remarked bitterly.

“Come on, you know what I mean. Just tell me when and where we can talk calmly, and I promise I’ll tell you everything. I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry, but I swear this isn’t about me at all. This is about you, and about the family you don’t remember,” Neal insisted.

He knew that there was very little chance that Emma would listen to him; after all, why should she? As far as she remembered, this was the first time she’d heard from him after he’d betrayed and abandoned her. His only hope was that, deep down, the Emma that had been to Storybrooke still existed, and that her dormant memories would guide her instincts. Magic couldn’t erase love, and Emma had loved her parents and her friends too deeply to completely forget them.

“Will you go away now if I promise to talk to you later?” Emma asked.

“Yes, I swear.”

“Fine. Meet me at the cafe across the road in one hour. If you don’t disappear right now, I won’t come. If I’m not interested in what you have to say, you’ll never come bother me again. Do otherwise, and I _promise_ you’ll regret it,” she hissed against the door. “Understood?”

“Perfectly. I’ll see you in one hour,” Neal said.

Through the peephole, Emma could see him walk away. She heaved a sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall and trying to process what had just happened.

“Who was that?” Henry asked, startling her.

Emma had to bite her tongue to keep from cursing. She’d been so shaken by Neal’s appearance that she hadn’t even realized that Henry had wandered closer to the door and had obviously listened to the whole exchange. She loved Henry’s inquisitive nature, but sometimes he was too curious for his own good.

“He’s… well, an old friend. Sort of,” she muttered, desperately scrambling her brain for a credible lie.

“You didn’t seem friendly, and I’m pretty sure I know all of your friends,” Henry pointed out, unconvinced.

“Well, we were friends once, then he betrayed my trust, and we haven’t seen each other since. You can’t remember him because the last time we saw each other you were very very young,” Emma explained. After all, it was _almost_ the truth.

Henry was about to say something else, but Emma cut him short.

“Come on now, if you don’t hurry you’ll be late for school. I don’t want you to think about that man anymore; with any luck, we’ll never hear from him again after today.”

* * *

In the blink of an eye, the clearing fell into chaos. Even the usually brave Snow and Charming started to panic at the realization that they had no weapons to fight the ogre with, and Neal watched in horror as people started running for their lives, while his own legs seemed rooted to the ground.

It was then that a massive fireball hit the monster in the face, making it stumble back. Regina was striding towards the ogre, another fireball already forming in her hand, her composure not altered in the slightest. It was as though the massive beast in front of them was nothing more than a little annoyance to her, definitely not something worth fussing about. The ogre hollered as it started running towards Regina, but she teleported right before it could hit her. Disoriented, the beast looked around, just to be hit right in the eyes with two more fireballs. With an ear-piercing scream, the ogre fell dead to the ground.

“We should move before this thing kills us all with its stench, or before others come. I have no intention to babysit you all, all day,” Regina commented briskly, cutting off Snow’s attempt at thanking her.

Neal would have loved to follow her advice, he really would, but he had cold sweat trickling down his spine, and his legs were threatening to give out.

“ _That_ was an ogre?” he asked, his voice trembling far more than he would have liked.

“They’re terrifying, aren’t they?” he heard Belle say behind him. “I only saw them once, and I still have nightmares about them.”

She put her hand on Neal’s shoulder as she spoke, coming to stand by his side. She was white as a sheet, and there was honest terror in her eyes, but somehow she still managed to be a comforting and calming presence.

“It’s not just that, it’s… I was supposed to be drafted in the Ogre War when I was a boy,” Neal said feebly, almost unable to form words past the lump in his throat. “My father didn’t want me to go, and I called him a coward for that. He had ran away from the Ogre War himself, and I thought he was just too scared to even consider trying. He became the Dark One to stop me from going to war, and all these years I kept thinking that I would have rather faced those beasts than have lost my father to darkness.”

Tears started running down Neal’s cheeks, and suddenly the weight of all that had happened in the last hour came crashing down on him. Belle wrapped her arms around him, and a moment later he started sobbing furiously.

“I was _fourteen_! Not much older than Henry is now. Those things would have slaughtered me, and I hated my father for not letting me go!” he cried out on Belle’s shoulders.

Just like he’d done on Neverland, he’d assumed the worst about his father, while Rumplestiltskin had been doing nothing but protecting his family. Neal had spent almost his entire life misjudging and resenting his father, and now he’d never get a chance to make up for it.

“He knew you were too young and too brave to understand his fear, and he was never angry at you for that. He was just afraid that you’d put yourself in danger’s way,” Belle murmured consolingly.

Neal didn’t have the energy to respond to that. He was tired of having his life turned upside down, of having everything he loved stripped away from him, and be left with only a broken heart and too many unexpressed feelings. He had promised Emma and Henry that they’d see each other again, but how could he say so when his entire life looked like a constant, cruel joke at his expense? He was still resting his head against Belle’s shoulders and he was vaguely aware that, in any other moment, he would have considered this situation a bit awkward. Yet right now it was exactly what he needed; he felt lost, almost as he’d felt when he’d first landed alone in the Land Without Magic, and Belle’s presence was giving him the comfort he’d missed back then. He doubted that he’d ever consider her a mother figure, but in that moment she was acting exactly like one.

The sound of horses’ hooves getting closer suddenly caught his attention, providing a welcome distraction from his pain. Neal doubted that whomever was coming could be worse than an ogre, but one could never be sure in the Enchanted Forest, especially now. His worry faded, however, when he recognized the head of the little expedition that had reached them. He happily waved at Prince Phillip, only to realize he wasn’t the only one who had recognized him. He wasn’t surprised by the fact that Snow and David, two royals, knew Phillip, but the grateful smile that he cast at Belle showed that the two of them clearly had history.

“I helped him a long time ago, as he was trying to get back to his True Love,” she explained quickly as they made their way towards Philip and his knights.

“He found her. They saved my life after I was shot,” Neal said, smiling at the absurd way their destinies were all entwined. Belle had once helped a stranger, and somehow her kindness had been repaid thirty years later when that man had saved her step-son. His father would have said that everything happens by design. That day, Neal truly wanted to believe it.

It turned out that Philip and his men had been chasing the ogre, as his kingdom was still struggling to keep its borders safe. After hearing a quick recap of what had happened to Storybrooke, Philip promptly offered to help find and gather the missing people, and invited them all to his castle.

“You need shelter, and we can always use a bit of help; there aren’t many people left in the Enchanted Forest, or at least there weren’t until now. Maybe now we can finally start rebuilding this place,” Philip said, smiling encouragingly at David and Snow.

Snow White could see in Philip’s eyes the same tiredness she knew was in her own; they were all tired of fighting, tired of _losing_ despite all their efforts _._ She had fought so much, only to be separated from her daughter once again, and even though all she wanted to do was to cry her eyes out, she knew she couldn’t. She had to stay strong, for her people and for herself. It was too dangerous to abandon herself to despair, and she had learned that painfully well after what she had done to Cora. She had survived everything thanks to hope, and Philip was offering them all just that. Hope of reconstruction, of a new life, of a new beginning. All she could do was cling to that hope and pray that it would be enough. She took Charming’s hand, saw his nod of encouragement, and then told Philip to lead the way.

* * *

“You got what you wanted, I’m here. Start talking, and try to make it sound convincing,” Emma said as she sat down in front of Neal.

“Okay, I know this is going to sound completely absurd, but I know where your parents are. They’re in a town called Storybrooke, in Maine, and I think you should go meet them,” Neal started off, weighing his words as he studied her reactions.

“How do you know they’re my parents? Why do you think I should care about them after thirty years of being alone? Most importantly, why are _you_ of all people telling me this? Do you really think me so gullible that I’ll just fall for this little scheme? What is this, a new scam of yours, and you wanted to try it on the only orphan you know?” Emma inquired, not convinced in the slightest.

Neal sighed. This was going exactly as he had feared.

“Look, I know you’re not going to believe me, but the truth is that I know they’re your parents because you’ve already met them. You just don’t remember doing so. Your memories are blocked,” Neal tried, even though he knew from Emma’s face that he was only angering her further.

“So now you’re psychoanalyzing me and telling me that I met my parents and then forgot about it? Are you drunk or just stupid?” Emma rebutted, regretting this meeting more and more with every passing second.

“I’m neither of these things. There are several months you don’t remember, and I can prove it to you,” Neal went on, knowing full well that he was going to look completely crazy to her. He had no other choice, however, but to try and plant the seed of doubt in her. He pulled out a bunch of photographs Henry and he had taken in Storybrooke, putting them on the table one by one in a strange build up of craziness.

“These are your parents, Mary Margaret and David,” he said, knowing that telling her their fairytale names would end the conversation right then and there.

Emma couldn’t suppress a pang of longing as she took their faces in, and she hated herself for this moment of vulnerability, especially because she knew that Neal had likely noticed it. He knew her far too well.

“This is you in Storybrooke, the town where they live. As I said, you don’t remember it, but it’s real,” Neal went on.

Emma was exasperated by all this madness, yet for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to just get up and leave him. There was something at the back of her mind that was telling her to listen to him, and curiously enough her superpower hadn’t gone off. Either Neal wasn’t lying, or she wasn’t as talented as she believed.

“This is you with your parents.”

As Neal showed her the third photograph, Emma cursed herself for letting her guard down even for a moment. Neal was clearly delusional.

“Are you crazy? They look exactly my age! What kind of drugs are you on?” she screamed, getting up from their table.

Many heads turned towards them, and Emma stood awkwardly for a moment, than sat back down so that she could hiss a few more words to Neal before going away.

“If you really wanted to drive me crazy with some photoshopped pics, you should have at least tried to make them believable. Now I’ll walk out this cafe, you won’t follow me, and I’ll never hear from you again. Understood?” Emma whispered.

“The fact that I showed you such an absurd photo is proof that I’m not lying. If I were, I would have brought up something more convincing,” Neal rebutted. “Come on, Emma, you know I’m not lying. Use your superpower.”

“My superpower won’t work if you’re so delusional that you believe all of this is real”, Emma replied, standing up once again.

At that point, Neal was left with only one card to play.

“Henry is in danger, and the sooner you’ll start believing me the sooner we can start working on keeping him safe,” he said in a whisper.

Emma felt her blood run cold.

“How the _hell_ do you know about Henry?” she hissed, roughly grabbing the neckline of his sweater.

“For the same reason I know about your parents: I saw him, I talked to him, all in the months you can’t remember,” he said, his tone unbelievably calm considering that he was more than sure that the only thing keeping Emma from knocking him unconscious was the fact that they were in public.

He slid another photo towards her, one that Henry had wanted to take after their first battle with wooden swords. They both looked so happy in it, and he longed to see his son again, hurting at the thought of having lost almost another year of his life.

“I don’t know what happened to you, or what you’re after, but I swear to god that if you get even _close_ to Henry you’re going to regret it for the rest of your sorry, useless life,” she hissed at him.

“I know you can’t believe me right now, but I only want Henry to be safe, and I need your help for that. I need you to remember, and if you drink this, you will,” he said, handing her a tiny bottle with what looked like blue fluid on the inside.

“Are you trying to drug me or something? Is this why Henry is in danger? You got in trouble with some drug dealer, and now they are threatening your son?”

It would make sense. Maybe the drug was causing Neal to hallucinate, and that would explain his crazy behavior. At the same time, a drug dealer trying to threaten him might very well have looked into his past, discovered that his ex-girlfriend now had a twelve year old son, and put two and two together.

“If I had wanted to drug you, I would have slipped that stuff into your drink. You know me, you know I would have managed it. If I gave you that bottle, Emma, it’s because I trust you. I trust you to follow your gut and do the right thing. I won’t come looking for you again, Emma; from now on, it’s all up to you,” he said.

Emma was deeply upset by the realization that he could have drugged her at any point, but the thought that she would hopefully never see him again calmed her.

“The only thing I’m going to do with this bottle is take it to a police station and warn them about a new drug circulating. Show up again, and I’ll also tell them that you’ve threatened Henry,” Emma said, finally releasing him.

Neal scribbled his phone number on a napkin before getting up.

“Just in case you decide to drink it. You’re not alone, Emma, and I’m sorry for ever letting you go,” Neal said, then he turned around and walked away.

He walked for a long time after leaving the cafe, trying to calm down; he had already seen Emma’s anger and heartbreak at being abandoned by him, but living it all again hadn’t been any easier. His only victory was the fact that Emma hadn’t discarded the potion or the napkin straight away. He wanted to take it as a sign that some part of her was trusting him, that her instinct was truly guiding her, even if her memories couldn’t. All there was left to do, now, was to hope.

* * *

Philip and Aurora went out of their way to make sure that all the newcomers felt welcomed, and while some people were having troubles re-adapting to the Enchanted Forest after getting used to the comfort of the modern world, many others were glad to be finally home. Belle didn’t belong to any of those categories: if she had to be honest with herself, she doubted she’d ever feel at home anywhere again. Her home was a pair of warm, brown eyes that she’d never see again, and no matter how much she tried to be strong, Rumplestiltskin’s absence was a burden that made every breath she took feel like an impossible task.

Someone who didn’t knew her might have thought she was recovering well; she went about her days as if everything were normal, helping around the castle as much as she could, but Ruby noticed how her smiles never reached her eyes, and she often spent her nights holding her as she cried. Granny was also keeping a close eye on Belle to make sure she didn’t skip meals, and Neal did his best to try and cheer her up, but Ruby knew that there was really only so much they could do. Grieving was a long, painful process, and Ruby knew from experience that it was something that Belle ultimately had to do on her own. Only her heart could decide when it would finally be time to move on.

After a few days at Philip’s castle, as more and more people from Storybrooke were found wandering through the woods, Snow and David started talking about moving back to what had once been their kingdom.

“The Enchanted Forest might have been depopulated up until now, but now that everyone is back there’s no reason to cramp everyone into a single kingdom. We can go back home and rebuild our lives, as we always wanted,” David suggested to the improvised council room.

Snow and David wanted to decide their course of action before saying anything to Aurora and Philip, lest they appear rude without a reason, so they had organized a little meeting with the dwarves, Jiminy, Blue, Granny and Ruby. The only new, somewhat strange addition was Regina. The last time they had held such a meeting they had been preparing for her attack, and now here she was, sitting amongst them in case she had any suggestions.

“David, our castle was destroyed by the curse. We can’t go back there,” Snow pointed out, with more than a hint of sadness in her voice. That castle represented her dreams, the life she had wanted for her family and that she was never going to get.

“What about Regina’s castle then? Was that destroyed as well?” Ruby asked.

“No, of course not. I protected it,” Regina said briskly.

“We should have figured. She could destroy an entire kingdom, but she couldn’t destroy her wardrobe,” Grumpy commented, earning an angry glance from Snow.

“This is great news. We can move there with all of our people and start over. I know there are still ogres around, but after everything we have been through I’m not scared. I have the utmost faith in every one of you, and I’m sure that together we will rebuild our kingdom more beautiful than it ever was,” Snow said, dead set on staying positive no matter what. She wasn’t sure of what would happen to her if she focused on her sadness for even a moment, and she never wanted to find out.

Some people eventually chose to stay with Aurora and Philip rather than follow Snow and David. The woods scared many, and so did the Evil Queen, and there were several days of march between them and Regina’s old castle. The choice was easy for Belle: Grumpy, Granny, Ruby and Archie were all going, and so would she. Neal would follow her, and they were packing together when Hook knocked on the door.

“I see you’re getting ready to leave,” he said as a starter, feeling a bit awkward.

“So are you,” Neal commented, gesturing at Hook’s satchel.

“Yes, but unlike you I’m not going to the castle; I’m going back to the sea. The Jolly Roger is out there somewhere, and I’d better go find her before some other pirate gets his dirty hands on her,” Hook explained.

Belle couldn’t say that she was sad about the pirate not coming with them, and Neal didn’t seem all too interested in what he had to say either.

“So, why are you here exactly?” Neal asked him.

Hook fidgeted for a moment, then his gaze turned unusually serious.

“I’m here because I guess I owe you both an apology,” he said. “I did terrible things to you both for my revenge’s sake, and you didn’t deserve it.”

Seeing Rumplestiltskin die had been his dream for decades. Now that he was truly dead, however, Killian realized how empty of a victory that was. Milah was still dead, and his pain hadn’t faded one bit. Or rather, it had faded because of something else.

“You were kind of a major jerk, yes,” Neal confirmed.

“I know it will sound empty now, but I once wanted us to be family, and I’m sorry it didn’t work out because I was too blinded by rage,” Hook went on. Then he looked at Belle. “I know what losing your True Love feels like, and despite everything I did in the past, I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

“Thank you,” Belle said, then after a moment of thought she added: “When we met in Storybrooke for the first time, I told you your heart was rotten, because I thought you were far beyond redemption. Apparently, Emma had the power to change you; all I can tell you now is not to waste that chance. Take a page out of Rumplestiltskin’s book, and learn to accept love in your life. As for me, I forgive you.”

Hook nodded, grateful, then surprised Baelfire by hugging him goodbye. He left the room with a strange feeling, something he had not felt in a long while. It was guilt, mixed with the relief of forgiveness, and as he walked away Belle’s words seemed to echo in his mind. Emma had taught him that he could love again, she had taken his broken, blackened heart and made it feel again. Even if he never saw her again, her light was something he’d carry in his heart forever.

* * *

Emma muttered angrily to herself as she tried with little success to focus on her work. Neal had gone crazy. Whatever drug he was taking, it must be hella strong to make him so delirious. A small part of her - that she was desperately trying to suppress - was sad at the thought of her first love reduced to an hallucinating addict. No matter how many times she reminded herself that he had betrayed her trust and broken her heart, she just couldn’t bring herself to forget him and what he had once meant to her.

What was truly driving her crazy, however, was the little bottle he had given her. Despite her promise, she hadn’t taken it to a police station, and even she couldn’t fathom why. She could have had it analyzed, she could have thrown it away, instead she had tucked it in her pocket and found herself checking if it was still there more often than it would be sane to admit.

 _Drink it_ , something at the back of her mind whispered. It was likely just her curiosity, combined with her innate instinct to do everything that was forbidden, but it was still driving her crazy. She had no idea of what could be in that bottle; it could be a drug, it could be toxic, it could even kill her. She couldn’t imagine Neal ever wanting to kill her, but what did she really know about him after twelve years? Even more so, she clearly had never truly known him, since she had gone to jail because she had trusted him.

 _Drink it_ , the voice kept whispering. Dammit, she was going insane. She wasn’t Alice in Wonderland, drinking out of strange bottles just because they told her to. She was a rational, non-fictional woman who had a son to take care of, and who couldn’t afford such a risk. As far as she knew, Neal could have set this all up to kill her and gain custody of Henry. It was absurd even to think of it, but it was still more reasonable than what Neal had suggested.

 _He hadn’t been lying_ , she found herself thinking again. She would have noticed otherwise. Of course, him being hallucinating or delirious would explain that, but honestly, he hadn’t looked _that_ deranged. Aside from his absurd stories, his behavior was completely normal. He hadn’t been anything but kind and calm with her, even when she had threatened him. Besides, could a delirious man use photoshop that well? She knew the pictures had to be fake, because she had no memories of ever taking them nor did they make sense, but she hadn’t been able to _see_ any sign of forgery on them. They just looked so real. No, they _felt_ so real. What a strange thought.

Despite her better judgment, she found herself taking the bottle out of her pocket. Realistically, what was the worst that could happen? She didn’t truly think Neal wanted to kill her. Maybe it was just colored water, and the worst that would happen to her was having a blue tongue for a while. Why was she considering trusting Neal again, she didn’t know.

 _Trust your gut_ , he had told her. How had he known that her gut would tell her to drink? Did he still know her so well? She uncorked the bottle, and a curious smell came out of it. She couldn’t quite place it, but it immediately brought her mind back to her childhood, to the feeling of being home, even if she knew she had never truly been. She tried to grasp the memory attached to the smell, but it kept eluding her.

She took the bottle in one hand, raised it of a couple inches towards her mouth, then stopped mid-motion and lowered it. She may be behaving like a fool, but she hadn’t gone completely insane yet. She took her cellphone and the napkin with Neal’s number, and wrote him a simple text: _I drank it._

Only a few seconds passed before her cellphone started ringing; Neal was calling her. Emma took it as a good sign: if the bottle contained poison, she doubted Neal would be calling her now.

“How are you feeling?” was the first thing her asked. He sounded genuinely concerned, but it felt like he was asking her about her feelings rather than her physical state, which contributed to diminish her fear that he was trying to poison her.

“Good. I remember;” she replied, trying to sound as convincing as possible while giving such a generic answer.

There was silence on the other side, then Neal asked, sounding both amused and exasperated: “You didn’t truly drink it, did you?”

Emma cursed inwardly.

“No, I didn’t,” she confirmed. “But I think I’m going to.”

“So, this was a test? I guess I should have seen it coming,” Neal admitted.

 _There’s no going back now_ , Emma thought, bringing the bottle to her mouth, this time without stopping.

“If this thing hurts me, I’m going to to hunt you down and send your sorry ass to jail,” she said, before gulping the whole bottle down.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then images started flashing before her eyes as memories flooded her mind. Henry. The curse. Her parents. Regina. Peter Pan. The curse being undone. Months of craziness came crashing down upon her, but when the flood was over, there was space for only one thought in her mind.

“I abandoned him,” she whimpered into the phone.

Her life with Henry had all been a lie. She had given him up, she had pushed away the most beautiful thing in her life, making him feel as rejected as she had once felt. His first words, his first steps, his crazy excuses not to go to school; she had missed all of that, and now that she had lived in that dream for almost a year waking up felt like losing a limb.

“I’m sorry,” Neal said immediately, even though she couldn’t understand why. She had made that choice, she had abandoned Henry, and she was not the victim he had to feel sorry for.

“Tell me where you are, I think we need to talk face to face,” he said.

The first thing he did when he saw her again, half an hour later, was hug her.

“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I really didn’t want you to go through this.”

“It was fake. It’s not fair that I should think myself better than I was,” Emma replied, gesturing at him to sit down.

“But it’s my fault you were left alone when you decided to give Henry up. Now I’ve put you through this pain again, and I really didn’t want to. If I have to be honest, a part of me wanted you to throw that bottle away. It would have made it more difficult to protect you and Henry, but you would have been happier,” Neal admitted.

Emma looked intensely at him for a moment, not sure of how she should respond. She was both thankful and angry at his self-sabotaging; she craved the happiness she had just lost, but at the same time she didn’t want others to fight her battles.

“Let’s not think about what could have been. What happened? What brought you back here? Why is Henry in danger?” Emma asked.

It took Neal a while to tell her everything about the nine missing months, and how he was the only one to remember them.

“We only had two memory potions; we were supposed to give them to you and Henry, but I had to use one so that at least one of us would remember what was going on. I warned everyone in town as soon as we reappeared in Storybrooke, then came here to wake you up,” Neal explained.

“Wait, this means that we can’t make Henry remember?”

“No, right now we can’t,” Neal had to admit. “I know it sucks, but right now we don’t have the ingredients for a new memory potion, and I’m not even sure we can find them in this world.”

“So, what do we do with him?” Emma asked. “We can’t tell him the truth, he’d think we have gone crazy and run away or something like that.”

Neal sighed. “I don’t know. We could take him to Storybrooke without telling him the truth, but he’s clever, he’d figure something out. We can’t really ask everyone in town to pretend to be cursed again, not with everything that’s happening.”

Emma was thoughtful for a moment, as she pondered over different plans, finding them all sorely lacking. In the end, the only one that had a vague chance of working was the one she liked least.

“We have to split up,” she said eventually. “You stay here with Henry, and I go back to Storybrooke.”

“No,” Neal’s answer left his mouth before Emma even finished talking. “Whatever happens, I want to be able to help you this time, and Henry doesn’t even remember me. How is he going to feel when you go away and leave him with a stranger?”

“I know what it will feel like to him, and I’m sorry, but what other choice do we have? He can’t come to Storybrooke, and I can’t stay here,” Emma reasoned.

“Yes, yes you can,” Neal insisted. “You are awake now, and you’ll watch out for any possible danger. If you want, I can stay here to help you, or I can go back to Storybrooke. Either way, you don’t _have_ to do anything.”

“I’m the Savior, Neal. Henry brought me to Storybrooke to bring the happy endings back, and everyone trusts me to do that; how could I sit here, relatively safe, while everyone else is in danger?” Emma said.

“I know you feel responsible for them, and I understand that, but please don’t let this destroy you. For me, for your family, you’re not the Savior: you’re Emma, and we’d love you just as much if you got a day off from time to time.”

Emma was silent for a few moments. “Even if you were right,” she said eventually, “I still have to go. My family is there, and they need my help.”

Neal nodded, resigned. He hadn’t expected her to stay in New York, but he had had to try, for her sake.

“So, at what time does Henry come back from school?”

* * *

Belle didn’t mind the long hours of walking. She had always loved taking long morning hikes, and in another moment she could have truly enjoyed their long march in the woods. They hadn’t met any more ogres, they were numerous enough to be safe from bandits, and her friends seemed to have made some kind of schedule so that there was always someone with her, talking and cheering her up.

Her father, however, had kept his distance, and it was only on the third day that he finally approached her. He was clearly awkward, asking her how she was and making small talk, and Belle answered in in monosyllables until he finally got to the heart of the matter.

“I’ve heard what happened to Rumplestiltskin. I’m sorry,” he said eventually.

“Are you really?” Belle asked him, her voice coming out sharper than she intended.

“Yes. I know I never liked him, and that I behaved horribly with you two, but now you’re hurting, and I’m sorry. You truly love him, and I should have realized it sooner,” he admitted.

There were a million things Belle wanted to say, but one part of Maurice’s apology had struck her.

“You said I _love_ him. Not _loved_. You’re the first person to do that since he…” she trailed off.

Maurice shrugged. “Death never made me love your mother any less.”

It was more than Belle could bear. She lunged forward and started sobbing in her father’s arms.

* * *

The door closed behind Emma’s back, and Henry turned around to look at Neal. He didn’t believe a single word of the story his mother had spun before leaving him here.

“So, do you just want to tell me what is really going on, or do I have to keep guessing until I find out by myself?” he said after a few moments of silence.

Neal gaped at him. “What do you mean? We told you what’s going on,” Neal reasoned, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

“Yes, of course,” Henry rebutted sarcastically. “Because the first thing my mom would do after getting a dangerous job would be to leave me with an old friend I’ve never even heard of. Seriously, you could have come up with a better cover story.”

 _Dammit_ , Neal thought. The kid was too clever for his own good.

“So tell me, what do you think is going on?” Neal asked. With a bit of luck, Henry was still far away from the truth, and Neal could play along with that.

“I think you’re my dad,” Henry replied simply, his eyes glinting with hostility.

 _Busted_.

“What? Why?” was all Neal managed to say, but his shock didn’t sound convincing even to his own ears.

“Because you and mom clearly know each other yet I’ve never heard of you, and when you knocked on our door this morning she wasn’t happy to see you, but now she leaves me with you,” Henry explained. “So, what did you tell her to convince her? I know you were a jerk to her in the past; what stupid, heartbreaking story did you spin to convince her to give you another chance?”

“Henry, it’s not what you think…” Neal started, but his son didn’t let him continue.

“Of _course_ not,” Henry scoffed. “You’re _so_ regretful, and you’re going to be a perfect boyfriend and a very cool dad, until you get what you want. Money, help in another scam, whatever. I don’t know and I don’t care. But this time mom will see right through you, punch your stupid face, and drag you to jail. She does that all the time to men like you.”

Neal didn’t know what to do. He had underestimated how much Henry’s fake memories would put him against his father, and how strongly protective of Emma he would be.

“Emma knows who I am, and I’ve been completely sincere with her. We’re not even together again, if that’s what you fear. We’re just trying to protect you,” Neal said, begging for Henry to believe him.

“Do whatever you want,” Henry replied, heading towards his room. “Just know that I don’t trust you.”

* * *

After five days of marching in the woods, everyone was elated to hear that they would reach Regina’s castle before nightfall. Sleeping on the cold, damp floor of the forest really wasn’t ideal, and they all craved rest and shelter. Regina was at the head of their group, constantly trying to quicken her pace to avoid Snow’s small talk. She had just reassured Snow that yes, they were very close to the castle, when an arrow burst through the trees and missed her by barely an inch.


	3. Witch Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Enchanted Forest of the past, Regina and the others meet new and old friends, and even a new enemy.  
> In the present, Emma arrives to Storybrooke, while Neal struggles to keep Henry safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta [galactic-pirates](http://galactic-pirates.tumblr.com) deserves even more praise than usual for this chapter. I am very tired these days and I made more mistakes than usual, so if this chapter somehow comprehensible I owe it to her.  
> I truly hope you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it!

_Storybrooke, present day_

Deep in the woods, hidden by several spells, stood a house that hadn’t been there before the second curse. Inside, a woman was cooking. The smell was less than enticing though, and the food looked more fit for an animal than for a human. She ladled the gruel into a chipped china bowl, then carried it on a tray out of the house. A foul smell hit her nose as she descended the stairs to the basement in her garden; the place was damp and filthy and always closed, so it was really no surprise. She neared a wire cage, leaving the tray right in front of it. As she retreated, however, something moved inside the cage, and her arm was roughly grabbed by the cage occupant.

“You never should have brought me back,” Rumplestiltskin whispered viciously.

Anger fueled his words just as much as despair. There was very little he was sure about, his brain struggling to connect to reality, but the fear and the rage he felt around Zelena were amongst the few things he never doubted. He tried to focus on those feelings to make the world less fuzzy around him, but she shook his hand off and he could immediately feel the fog enveloping him again, taking away reason and meaning.

“You feed the madness and it feeds on you,” he sing-sang as he took the broken stove in his hands. “You feed the madness and it feeds on you,” he continued, as he picked the food up with his fingers. “You feed the madness and it feeds on you,” he kept on singing while he ate, and his unsettling giggle filled the darkness of the cellar as Zelena walked away.

* * *

Regina turned around, a fireball already forming in her hand, even though the fury in her eyes might have already been enough to kill a man.

“Who’s there?” she shouted at the figure half-hidden by the trees. “Come out now and maybe I won’t burn your face off.”

“My name is Robin Hood,” the man said, coming out with his hands up and a smug smile on his face. “And I just saved your life.”

Regina scoffed.

“You could have killed me,” she accused him.

“I was warning you. If you had kept walking, you would have ended up much worse than dead,” Robin explained. “There are flying monkeys in that part of the woods; they attack anyone who comes too close to the old castle of the Evil Queen, and whomever is bitten turns into one of them.”

Shocked gasps rose from the crowd that was amassing behind Regina as the rest of the group caught up with her.

“Flying monkeys? I’ve never heard of those,” David said, looking at Robin for further explanation.

“I have,” Belle said, walking out of the crowd. “They’re typical of Oz, and they’re quite dangerous.”

Robin’s face lit up as soon as he took Belle in, and he rushed to hug her. He was glad to see Neal as well, but he didn’t miss the flash of pain in Neal’s eyes as he brushed his questions off by saying that his son was safe with his mother.

Robin hadn’t forgotten about all the other people around them, and he turned around to discuss once again with the very angry lady he had just saved.

“Whatever those flying monstrosities are, I can handle them. I don’t run from monsters, _they_ run from _me_ ,” she insisted.

“There’s just too many of them, you wouldn’t last an hour. Not to mention the fact that many - if not all - of them are innocent people who were transformed,” Robin said, determined to make her see reason.

Another woman stepped in, trying to calm down the first one and then addressing him much more reasonably.

“We have travelled for days through the forest, headed towards the castle. Our people are tired and scared. What do you suggest we do?” she asked him.

Robin knew that his camp was way too small for all these people, but he still offered his hospitality. He had made it a point of honor to protect the people who walked through these woods, and he would do his best to help this very large company as well.

Apparently it was a day for reunions, because as soon as they sat foot in his camp Mulan rushed to Belle and Neal just as he had done a few minutes before. Not long after that, Robin almost chocked on his stew as he learned that the woman he had saved was the Evil Queen herself, and the woman who had acted so friendly towards her was none other than Snow White. He didn’t know if he was more embarrassed for not having recognized them, or more shocked at how friendly they looked. Well, at least Snow White looked friendly; the Evil Queen - _Regina_ , he mentally corrected himself - seemed just apathetic, limiting herself to a snarky remark from time to time, but it was all bark and no bite. Completely different from the deranged woman he had pictured in his mind, whose wrath on the population he had sometimes witnessed.

Roland, his precious boy, was giddy at the sudden increase of company. There were finally kids with whom he could play, and a lot of new adults who cooed over him. All in all, however, there was just too much confusion to keep a constant eye on Roland as Robin usually did. One moment he was talking to Snow White, listening to all that had happened to them and trying to think of how to help them, and a moment later his blood ran cold in his veins as Roland’s scream echoed over the camp.

The world around him lost any meaning as he rushed towards his boy. Roland was sitting on the ground, crying his eyes out, his left hand already swelling around a snake bite. Close to him, the snake was still hissing threateningly. Robin killed it with a stone, a shiver running down his spine as he recognized the animal. It was an Atlanteian Rat Snake, and unless he found a very good healer (and a way to pay him) his boy would die tomorrow. He was vaguely aware of the commotion around him, of his Merry Men rushing to his aid, but he only had eyes for Roland. He picked him up and headed for their tent, but he had barely taken five steps when the Evil Queen stopped him.

“Can I see the bite? I can help,” she said.

At any other time he would have had more doubts about putting his son’s life in the Evil Queen’s hands, but he was already growing desperate, and there was something about her behavior that was telling him to trust her. Even in his panicked state, Robin couldn’t fail to notice that her demeanor had changed: she looked sadder, kinder, and even her voice had lost its sarcastic edge.

She inspected Roland’s wound with gentle fingers, then her hand started glowing purple and Robin watched in awe as the magic dragged the venom out drop by drop. As soon as the glow of magic faded, Roland opened his eyes again, scared but healthy as a horse.

Robin didn’t have words enough to thank Regina, but she didn’t seem to mind his lack of vocabulary. Instead, she conjured a slice of cake and offered it to Roland, who still looked shaken.

“Be more careful the next time; you don’t want to give your father another scare like that,” she mock-scolded, her voice even kinder than before.

Now that Roland was safe, the commotion in the camp ended just as quickly as it had started. Regina walked away from Robin without saying another word, and as he watched her go he couldn’t help but marvel at how different she was from the cruel woman who had once terrorized these lands.

* * *

Emma arrived in Storybrooke at the first light of dawn. The streets were as deserted as they’d been on the day she had first followed Henry in town.

Her parents were already awake when she knocked on their door, and it was only when they hugged her that she truly realized how much she had missed them.

“I still can’t believe we’re fighting against the Wicked Witch. Is no part of my childhood sacred?” Emma groaned after filling Snow and David in on her life during the missing months. “Any sightings of her?” she asked them.

“None,” Snow said, shaking her head in frustration. “We’ve organized patrols through the woods, but so far they’ve been useless. She’s hiding somewhere, planning her next move, and all we can do is try to be prepared for when she strikes.”

“Which won’t be easy, since she’s controlling Gold,” Emma said, discouraged. She wasn’t going to give up, but she had to admit that the situation was pretty grim. “If I understood correctly, her main targets are Regina, Belle, me… and Henry, am I right?”

The thought sent shivers down her spine. With Gold’s knowledge of this world there was still a chance that Zelena would track Henry and Neal down, and then they’d be alone against whatever she threw at them, but Neal had spent a life in hiding, he knew what do to. Once again, Emma was glad that she had left her son behind, even if leaving his side while he was in danger went against her every instinct.

Her musings were interrupted by the doorbell, and soon enough the little loft was filled to the brim with people. There were the dwarves, Archie, Blue, Ruby, Granny and, lastly, Regina and Belle. Emma smiled warmly at Henry’s other mother, the memory of Regina’s sacrifice still fresh in her mind. She would do anything to make Henry remember and let Regina hug him again.

“How are you feeling?” Emma asked Belle, who had dark circles around her eyes and whose smile was thinner than she had ever seen it.

“Tired. Worried. Scared,” Belle admitted. “I have been worse, though. You have no idea of how shocked I was when I woke up in Storybrooke and found myself nine months pregnant.”

* * *

It was Regina who eventually came up with a plan.

“There are tunnels that start outside the castle and lead right under it. I can use them to sneak inside,” she explained.

“And how does that help us? Even if we could sneak in and keep the monkeys out, we’d just be trapped inside the castle,” David pointed out.

“These monkeys aren’t typical of the Enchanted Forest,” Belle chimed in. “If they’re here now, and they only patrol the area around the castle, it means there is something or someone inside of it that they’re guarding.”

“And since I definitely didn’t put these flying monstrosities here, someone else must have. Someone who thought they could use my castle as their property. I’ll find them and make them regret it,” Regina declared.

“It sounds like a good plan, but I have a question: why did you say _I_ and not _we_? You’re not thinking about going there alone, are you?” Snow said.

“The more people, the more notice we’d attract, and I can easily deal with a couple of winged monstrosities on my own. Once I’m sure the place is safe, I’ll send you a crow,” she replied firmly.

It took some time to force Snow and David to accept her decision, but eventually she walked away alone. She didn’t remember where exactly the entrance to the tunnels was, and she wasn’t sure that it was outside of the territory patrolled by the monkeys, but the others didn’t need to know that.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” a voice exclaimed behind her.

Regina spun around, not even bothering to form a fireball in her hands as she had already recognized the annoying voice.

“What are you doing here?” she asked Robin.

“What does it look like? I’m coming with you,” he said matter of factly.

“No, you’re not,” she contradicted him. “I said I was going alone, and don’t remember asking for your help.”

“Which doesn’t mean that you don’t need it. Two people won’t be attract more attention than one, and it’s always better to have someone watching your back. Plus I know these woods, while you seem a bit confused,” Robin insisted.

“I’m not. Just go back to your little camp in the woods, okay?” Regina rebutted. She was getting really annoyed.

“Say what you want, but I can’t let you go alone. You saved my son’s life, I owe you a debt,” Robin said.

There was a flash of tenderness in Regina’s eyes, that was immediately replaced by feigned shock.

“Who knew a thief had honor?” she said, turning around as she resumed walking. She had realized that arguing with him was only going to slow her down; if he really wanted to risk his life that much, than he was bloody welcome.

“Who knew the Evil Queen had a soft spot for children?” he replied, but there was gentleness in his teasing, and respect even.

It didn’t take them much longer to find the entrance to the tunnels. When Regina used her magic to levitate the rock that was blocking the entrance, Robin let out an impressed comment. She didn’t reply; instead she stepped down the hidden staircase that led to the tunnels, letting the darkness envelop her.

They got into the castle undisturbed. However, even once inside, it took them some time to find the trace of someone’s passage.

“That’s impossible,” Regina murmured, striding towards an open door.

“What’s wrong?” Robin asked.

“This door shouldn’t be open. I sealed it with blood magic before leaving, I’m sure. No one could get inside but me,” she explained.

The crypt was where she kept all of her ingredients and her hearts, and she wasn’t so foolish as to leave it open. Something very strange had happened here.

“Isn’t it possible that whomever broke in was stronger than your spell?” Robin suggested.

“It doesn’t work like that; magic is more complicated than brute force. Some spells are like locks; you can’t simply punch them open, you need the right key,” Regina explained as she surveyed the place to check for any missing ingredients. It wasn’t easy, as many things had been moved by the curse and its successive undoing, but at least she found all she had come looking for.

She led Robin back to what had once been her chamber. She immediately realized that someone had been in there and rummaged through her closet and her jewelry, but right now she really didn’t care. She started working on a potion, and soon enough Robin got curious. _Too_ curious. She tried to dodge his questions, to give him half truths, but he seemed to have noticed that something was wrong, because he kept pressuring her about it. Eventually, she blurted the truth out in pure frustration.

“It’s a sleeping curse, okay? Now let me be and make yourself useful by keeping watch,” she admitted.

“Why so much mystery around a spell that might help you against whomever we’re fighting? Unless… you’re not going to use it on our enemy,” Robin reasoned. Suspicion flashed in his eyes, and he nocked an arrow to his bow.

“Who is that spell for?” he demanded.

Regina made his bow vanish with a lazy wave of her hand, then glued his feet to the ground.

“Don’t worry, no one you’ll miss. No one _anyone_ will miss,” she said, not even looking at him as she poured the potion on a hairpin.

“You’re… you’re going to use it on _yourself_? I can’t let you do that,” Robin protested.

“Than it’s a good thing you don’t have a say in the matter,” Regina replied coldly. “I’ll keep my word and defeat whomever took possession of my castle, but then… then I go to sleep.”

“Look, I don’t know what has led you to this, but you can’t just give up. I know how much life can hurt, how lost you can feel sometimes; when my wife died, I didn’t know how I’d be able to go on without her. My son gave me the strength I needed to carry on, and I’m sure you can find that strength as well,” Robin argued, still trying to get free of her spell and walk to her.

“You see, this is exactly where you and I are different. I’ve already lost my son, my entire world, the only reason I’d ever want to wake. Only he can break this spell, and if he ever, through some miracle, comes back here from the Land Without Magic, then his True Love’s Kiss will wake me. As you see, I’m not giving up. This is not an ending; it’s an eternal middle,” Regina explained. Then her expression changed, the hurt left her eyes to be replaced by a cold determination. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I just saw someone flying on a broom over my courtyard.”

She materialized outside just as a witch with green skin dismounted her broom.

“Regina! It’s so nice of you to pay me a little visit. Since you were gone I thought there would be no harm in playing with your things for a little while. You don’t mind, do you?” the witch asked, her voice dripping with feigned pleasantness.

“That’s my dress,” Regina pointed out, gesturing at the witch’s outfit.

“I had to take it in a little bit at the hips but it looks better on me, don’t you think?” she had the courage to reply. She really had a talent for getting on Regina’s nerves.

“I think you should have never left Oz,” Regina hissed threateningly.

“Oh, so you know who I am?” she asked, surprised.

“Well, your stupid pets come from Oz, you’re a witch and your skin is green. It really doesn’t take a genius to realize you’re the Wicked Witch of the West,” Regina said calmly.

“I’m glad to see my reputation precedes me, but allow me to introduce myself anyway. You can call me Zelena”, she said.

“Well, Zelena, I’ll make it simple: either you and your little circus leave my castle now, or I will _make_ you leave, and I promise you it won’t be pretty,” Regina said, slipping once again into her Evil Queen persona. She could feel magic simmering at her fingertips, and the darkness seemed to call her, offering relief from the pain of losing Henry. It had been so long since she had last felt like this.

“You can have your castle back if you want it so badly. I was just trying it on for size. Besides, I’ve already seen everything worth seeing. Your closet. Your gardens. Your crypt,” Zelena said, still smirking, as if Regina’s threats weren’t even worth considering.

“Yes, how did you break the blood lock?” Regina asked. If there had been a flaw in her spell, she needed to know.

Zelena’s smirk only grew bigger as she shook her head.

“Cora really never told you, did she?” she asked.

“Tell me _what_?”

“That I’m your sister. Half-sister, actually, but details, details,” Zelena explained, enjoying every moment of Regina’s shock.

She went on to whine about how unfair her life had been, while Regina had everything. Nothing Regina said could get her to stop wallowing in self pity, or at least to stop monologuing, but when she told her about Rumplestiltskin’s death Zelena did seem to falter for a moment.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said after a moment, her smirk back in place. “You’re the only one I need alive. I’m going to take everything from you. My greatest victory will be your worst nightmare.”

Regina couldn’t care less about her threats. She had already lost everything that mattered to her. Despite Zelena’s intentions, all of her talk about ruining Regina’s life was only giving her something to hold on. She had learned a long time ago how much rage could become a crutch, and it had been so long since Regina had had someone to destroy.

* * *

Neal was worried. The day before, he had told Emma that Henry would be safe with him, and that he had everything under control; now he didn’t feel so sure anymore. His son hardly talked to him, and he had stubbornly refused to move somewhere else. Neal really should have seen it coming, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel as though they were going around New York with a giant target on their backs. Someone could have easily followed him from Storybrooke, and he couldn’t keep an eye on Henry all the time. He was so relieved when he picked him up after school, seeing that he was alive and unharmed, that he almost didn’t mind Henry’s irritation at seeing him in front of his school.

“I know you’re a bit confused about my age, as you weren’t there to see me grow up, but I’m not five anymore. I can go home by myself,” Henry said scornfully as he walked past him.

“I know, just as I know how old you are. I just wanted to do something nice,” Neal said in his most appeasing tone.

“Well, you tried. Congratulations. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take the same road as always,” Henry said, still not looking at him.

“Please, my car is parked right here. We’ll be home much quicker if we take it; just let me do this for once, then I’ll leave you alone, okay?” Neal tried, knowing full well that he would never feel safe leaving Henry alone until Zelena was defeated. Still, he had to deal with today first, then he could come up with another plan for tomorrow.

Eventually, Henry gave up, probably just to get rid of the annoyance rather than because Neal’s words had gotten through him. Still, Neal was quite proud of himself as he drove his son home. His feeling of victory, however, was quite short lived. He had just parked outside of Emma’s house and was about to get out of the car when he heard someone knocking on the car window.

“Could you come out? There’s an UPS delivery for you,” a brown haired man said.

Time seemed to slow down as Neal’s mind started whirring. His first thought was to brush the sentence off as an oddity, but then his runaway instinct kicked in. He was already backpedaling when he realized that the man didn’t indeed have any package with him. No package, no livery, no reason why anyone should give a package addressed to Emma Swan to the man parking outside of her apartment building. As if the man was just using an excuse to get to talk to him. An excuse he didn’t understand, because he wasn’t truly from this world.

“What the hell are you doing?” Henry asked, enraged.

“Hold on tight, we’re being followed,” Neal muttered as he careened down the street.

“What are you talking about? Are you crazy or something? Stop the car NOW!” Henry kept on screaming, distracting him as he tried to keep his focus on the road while also checking the rearview mirror for any pursuers.

“Look, I really wish I had the time to explain, but can I do it once we reach somewhere safe?” Neal muttered as he took another turn.

“Somewhere safe? Where the hell do you think you’re going? Do you really think you can kidnap me just like this?” Henry screamed, then he unlocked the seatbelt and started scrambling for the door handle.

Neal slammed on the brakes before his son could launch himself out of a moving car.

“What the hell?” he yelled as Henry got out of the car.

“Go to your safe house of whatever, _I_ am going home!” Henry stopped just so he could yell in his face.

“Henry, please, I wouldn’t lie to you, we’re in danger, we need to go,” Neal pleaded with him.

Henry’s caustic response was cut off when Neal all but tackled him to the ground. A moment later, a winged monkey flew right over their heads.

“Go back to the car, I’ll distract it,” Neal whispered to his son.

Henry was as pale as a sheet in shock and terror, but for once he immediately did as Neal told him. The beast, however, didn’t seem interested in his father, and immediately went after him. He barely had the time to jump back into the car and lock the door before the monkey crashed into the car. He was safe for now, but how long would the window hold?

It was then that Neal grabbed the beast from behind, using all of his body weight to drag the monkey down to the floor with him. It took the monkey only a few seconds to get free of Neal’s hold, but by then Henry sharply opened the car door, slamming it into the monster’s head. The monkey stumbled backwards, and Neal hit it again with a rock. The monster fell on the ground with a loud thud.

“Did we just… kill it?” Henry asked after a long moment of silence.

“I don’t think so,” Neal said, lightly nudging it with his foot. “I think it’s just passed out. We should move before it wakes up.”

Henry was silent for a while as Neal resumed driving. He had a thousand questions whirring through his brain, but his tongue felt impossibly dry.

“You’re not injured, are you?” Neal asked after a few moments.

“No, I’m fine. But you… you fought that creature to protect me,” Henry muttered, his voice still shaking in fear.

“I’m your father, Henry. Anyone who wishes you harm will have to step over my dead body, and I don’t mean it as a mere figure of speech,” Neal said, smiling tenderly at him.

“Will they try to? To step over your dead body, I mean?” Henry asked, more afraid than he had ever felt in his entire life.

“I’ll be honest: I don’t know, but we’re going to Storybrooke, where your mother is, and there are plenty of people there who are ready to help me protect you,” Neal explained.

“Will there be more monkeys like that one?”

“Probably, but they are not the main problem: the person controlling them is. The monkeys actually used to be people, and they have been transformed with magic. I’m not sure how this one managed to transform here,” Neal explained, knowing full well that Henry was probably going to freak out even more now.

“MAGIC?” Henry screamed.

“I know, I know. It’s a long, complicated, absurd story, but after all you saw that thing, right? You know I’m not lying,” Neal said.

“I was betting on a mutant outbreak generated by a lab accident, but I suppose magic isn’t that much weirder,” Henry said, a trace of his humor back now that the tension and the fear were fading.

“Well, we have a long road ahead of us, I can answer all of your questions if you want,” Neal said, looking more relaxed now that his son was calmer.

“Okay, first things first: do you happen to have a snack in here? I’m starving!”

“There’s a rucksack on the backseat. There’s water and snacks in there, together with a first aid kit and a few other things I thought would be useful. There’s more stuff in the trunk, including some changes of clothes, but I’d rather not stop to take them out until there’s some distance between the monkey and us,” Neal explained.

He would have put everything on the backseat if he had been able to, but that would have looked suspicious to Henry when he picked him up.

“Did you know we were going to be attacked?” Henry asked. “That’s why you wanted to pick me up from school?”

“Sort of. I knew there was the possibility of someone coming after us, that’s true, but I also have old habits that I just don’t want to get rid of. I used to live in a car, you know,” Neal said, smiling as he thought back on his time with Emma.

“With my mom, I know. She kept saying that she should have realized from that, that you couldn’t be trusted,” Henry said, but there was no accusation in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” Neal said for what felt like the thousandth time, yet he knew it would never be enough.

“Yes, you should be. But my mom left me alone with you and you just saved my life, so maybe she was right to give you another chance. Maybe you do deserve some trust,” Henry conceded.

Neal’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his mood soaring despite the difficult situation.

The long drive to Storybrooke suddenly looked like too short of a time to spend with his son.

* * *

The Dark Castle was a mess; years of abandonment and ransacking had drastically changed the halls of the place where Rumplestiltskin had taught her magic. Still, Zelena knew that what she was looking for would be in place. Rumplestiltskin had been too smart to leave his most valuable items out in the open, at the mercy of any passerby, not when he knew the curse was coming. It took her a while, but eventually she found a library, and in it a hidden section that had clearly stayed untouched for decades. Powerful tomes of dark and ancient magic that were just waiting for her to unleash their potential. She’d take the time to study them all, but later. For now, there was only one thing she was interested in. The Dark One was a primordial entity, some said almost as old as magic itself, and she refused to believe that it could just die like that. She needed every bit of information about it that she could find; one way or another, she was going to bring Rumplestiltskin back.


	4. Sons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the past, Belle has to deal with an unexpected development. In Storybrooke, father-son relationships will move things forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really hope you like this chapter, because I feel this is where things start getting serious. Also, this is the first chapter that has a different title from the episode that inspired it. Sorry Rapunzel, you just didn't fit the story at all.

As the weeks passed, life found a new, pleasant rhythm inside and around the Evil Queen’s castle. Snow and David were doing a great job at organizing things so that everyone’s skills were put to good use; camps were cultivated under Tiny’s expert supervision, Marco coordinated the construction of new houses, and Regina’s magic was turning out to be a real blessing, especially when Blue refused to offer help with some issues. It was Regina who had to turn Archie back into a human when the fairy refused to do so.

“I turned him into a cricket to give him another chance at being free and, most importantly, being good. To turn him back would mean taking away the lesson he learned on that day,” was her only explanation.

Blue also resented the fact that several dwarves, beside Snow’s seven old friends, had decided to help around the castle rather than go back to the mines. The decrease in the production of fairy dust only seemed to irritate her more, making it even harder to obtain help from her, but aside from Blue’s sour mood things were going nicely.

Even Belle had been assigned to her dream occupation. She was now in charge of Regina’s old library, with the added duty of collecting and recording all of the knowledge that they had acquired through their cursed memories. She had been given a list of every person who had come to the castle, and she had noted beside everyone the fields in which they were knowledgeable. It was a pity that Whale had gone back to his old world, and not just because Ruby missed him terribly; medical knowledge had been way more advanced in the Land Without Magic, and it was definitely one of their highest priorities. Thankfully, a bunch of nurses had come over, giving her a place to start.

She went to talk to the first one early one morning, bringing parchment and ink down to the infirmary, so that nurse Lewis, Charlotte, could still be available if there was an emergency. Everything was going nicely, and Belle already had three sheets of parchment full of notes, when the other woman started cleaning something with alcohol. The pungent smell went straight to Belle’s stomach, and a second later she was fighting the need to throw up.

“I’m sorry,” she said as soon as she was able to talk again. “I haven’t been feeling well these past few weeks, and strong smells really don’t help.”

There was a curious look on the nurse’s face.

“For how long exactly? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” she asked.

“I don’t know, I guess since shortly after we came back to the Enchanted Forest. I just didn’t pay much attention at first because, well… my True Love had just died. Feeling sick was basically a constant state for me,” Belle explained. God, it still hurt so much to say it.

“My condolences,” Charlotte said immediately. “Look, I know this might be too blunt and possibly a shock for you, but have you considered the possibility that you might be pregnant?”

It took Belle several seconds to fully grasp the meaning of her words.

“No,” she said instinctively, without even thinking. “No, I can’t be, it’s not possible…”

 _But it was_. Her voice trailed off as the realization hit her. She had been so caught up in her grief that she had missed all the signs: the sickness, her missing period, even her sudden and strange craving for lemon cakes. Her head started spinning, and she sat down heavily on the closest bed.

“I mean, it’s just a thought, you’re not _certainly_ pregnant,” Charlotte said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Belle shook her head. She might not have considered the possibility until then, but now she felt in her heart that it was the truth. She was pregnant. She was going to have Rumplestiltskin’s child, and she didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse. Now a part of Rumplestiltskin would always be with her, and their love would live on in the new life they had created together. Yet their child would never know its father, nor would she ever see Rumplestiltskin’s eyes lit up as he held his child for the first time. Images of the life they could have had flashed before her eyes, and knowing that they’d never become real felt like losing Rumplestiltskin all over again.

Neal was the first person she told about it. He was very surprised, then sympathetic, and eventually he managed to make her laugh by quipping about having always wanted to be a big brother. She had lost Rumple, but his children were still here, and she’d do her damnedest to take care of them as Rumple would have. Even though she had no idea where to start.

* * *

By the time Neal and Henry arrived in Storybrooke, they had been attacked two more times. Emma and Regina were waiting for them at the townline, ready to fight off any other monkeys. Zelena’s beasts tried to keep anyone from leaving town, but coming back in was easier, as Emma herself had seen. _Better safe than sorry_ , Emma thought, even though her magic was still quite unreliable. Regina was trying to teach her, but Emma was turning out to be quite a difficult student. She was full of potential, but she had trouble channeling her emotions into her spells. Emma would never admit it, but she suspected that part of her struggle was due to the fact that, deep down, she still hadn’t accepted all this magic craziness. She had started to after Henry ate that poisoned turnover, but he was the believer in the family, not her. After nine months back in the _real_ world, with its normal problems, Storybrooke felt like nonsense. _Dangerous_ nonsense. Back in New York, bills were her major problem. Now that magic was back in her life, the stakes had risen so much; she wasn’t struggling to make ends meet anymore, she was fighting to keep her family alive. Even though she knew this was technically her world, a part of her couldn’t help but long for the calm of her old life.

Henry rushed to hug her as soon as the car was safely across the townline, immediately making her mood lighter. Magic or not, she felt infinitely better with Henry in her arms. Neal came to hug her next, while Henry awkwardly shook hands with Regina. Emma could see the pain in her eyes at not being recognized by her own son, but there was nothing she could do about it. As much as it pained Regina to admit it, even she had agreed that it wasn’t wise to tell Henry that he’d actually been abandoned as a newborn. His world had just been turned upside down, and the last thing he needed was another shock, especially now that he knew he was in danger.

Neal decided to go back to his father’s house, to check on Belle and hopefully get some sleep. To Emma’s surprise, Henry hugged him before saying goodbye, even if he was somewhat awkward.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Neal… I mean _dad_ , I mean… what do you want me to call you?” Henry asked, confused. Every word felt wrong on his tongue.

“It’s alright, you can still call me Neal if you want,” Neal reassured him immediately. “But should you feel like it, then call me ‘Papa’. It’s what I always called my father.”

Henry nodded, clearly more at ease, and Emma burned with curiosity. She wanted to know more about this sudden change in Henry and Neal’s relationship, but she didn’t want to pressure her son. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t keep silent about it for long anyway.

“I hit that monkey in the face, you know? Twice!” Henry said enthusiastically after they had parted from Regina as well.

“I hope the monkey didn’t do the same to you,” Emma replied, torn between pride and worry.

“Nope. It _did_ try, but Neal always stopped it. He saved me, more than once. Not that I wasn’t able to take care of myself, but Neal helped. A lot,” Henry babbled, still high on adrenaline.

“I’m glad that you two are on better terms now. I’m sorry I had to leave you with him, especially when you didn’t trust him, but things have a tendency to go downhill pretty quickly in Storybrooke,” Emma explained.

“Because of magic?” Henry asked, still not quite able to believe it. “It’s all true then? Fairytale characters are real and a curse brought them here?”

“Yes. Crazy, right?” Emma said, smiling as she remembered the time when she had been the skeptical one.

“Neal said there are things from the past that we don’t remember. That our memories were erased and that we had met him before. That’s why you changed your mind about him?” he asked her. He didn’t think Neal could have come out with such an absurd explanation just to trick him, but he needed confirmation that his story and his mother’s matched.

“Yes. When we met him again, in the months you have forgotten, I discovered that there was a reason why he had left me alone. Not a great reason, but still better than him just wanting to run away with the money. He has been trying very hard to make it up to us, and he loves you very much,” Emma confirmed.

“I think he loves you as well. He gets emotional whenever he talks about you,” Henry said, curious at what his mother’s reaction would be.

“Maybe he does, but right now we don’t have time for that,” Emma brushed the matter off. “I’m more focused on getting your memory back and keeping you safe. We still don’t know what exactly that witch wants from all of us.”

Her attempt to change the subject was way too obvious to be missed. Henry wasn’t sure of what he thought of that, but he would surely keep a closer eye on his parents from now on. There was definitely a lot going on there.

* * *

Ever since she had told the others that she was pregnant, Belle had hardly been left alone for a moment. There was always someone fussing over her, even more so than when she was ‘just’ grieving. She appreciated it, she truly did, but from time to time she felt the need to be alone with her thoughts, and the night was perfect for that. When she woke up from a nightmare - which was a common occurrence for her - she often saw no point in lying awake in the dark when there was no one to calm her and hold her as she fell back to sleep. So she got dressed and wandered through the castle, oftentimes ending up in the courtyard; she loved the flowers that grew there, and there was something bittersweet and soothing in looking up at the sky and wondering if Rumple was looking down at her from wherever he was.

That night, however, the courtyard wasn’t empty when she reached it. Regina was already sitting on one of the benches, and she turned around with a start when she heard Belle approaching.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Belle apologized immediately, already turning her back on the other woman to walk away. She didn’t feel like talking, especially not with Regina.

“No, wait, I actually wanted to talk to you,” Regina said after a second, as if she had been debating whether to speak or not.

Belle sighed, her back still turned to the queen. She could simply walk away; they weren’t friends by any means, after all, and she was tired. Yet being so rude really went against her nature, and she supposed she could just hear what this was about and leave if the whole thing got uncomfortable. She walked towards the bench, reminding herself that this wasn’t the same woman who had imprisoned her and erased her personality at least twice.

“What do you want, Regina?” she asked, her voice coming out just a tad more annoyed than she had meant it to. If Regina noticed, she didn’t let it show.

“I just want you to know that I’m sorry for all that you’re going through. I didn’t say it before, but I really mean it,” Regina said somewhat awkwardly. “Losing your True Love is terrible, and you didn’t deserve this. Probably nobody does.”

Belle could see the honesty in Regina’s eyes, and she really wished she could simply accept her condolences and walk away, but something about her choice of words really set her off. She had been building up tension, grief and anger for so long, and suddenly something inside of her snapped.

“Then why did you do your damnedest to put me and Rumplestiltskin through that kind of pain over and over again?” she asked, her voice already cracking with tears. “Why should I listen to you when your scheming took away so much of the limited time I had with Rumple? You’ve done nothing but mentally and physically torture me ever since we’ve known each other!”

Regina was taken aback by her outburst, but the quick flash of indignation in her eyes died straight away to be replaced by guilt.

“I’m sorry,” she said after a beat of silence. “I truly am. I know I did horrible things to you, and you didn’t deserve them.”

She was a new person now, or at least she was trying to be, but it was so much harder in the Enchanted Forest, where everything and everyone seemed to remind her of her past.

“Thank you,” Belle deadpanned. “Look, I had to let this out sooner or later, but I really don’t want to fight. You’ve hurt me, and this apology was long overdue, but I’m willing to try and move past that now that you’re changing,” she added, her tone turning more conciliating.

“You know, in a way I actually admire you,” Regina blurted out, surprising even herself for having said it out loud. Belle looked quizzically at her, so she went on.

“I admire you because you have a strength I never had. You are willing to forgive people no matter how much they’ve hurt you, and despite everything that life - or I, for that matter - threw at you, you didn’t let it change you. Darkness is a slippery slope, and you’ve always managed to keep yourself away from it,” Regina explained.

“Is it truly a big deal if I’ve never even been tempted?” Belle asked, a small smile finally forming on her face. Try as she might, she had never truly seen the appeal of darkness. When things went south, she was prone to blaming herself, and that was something that no amount of dark magic could fix. “Maybe it’s people like you and Rumplestiltskin who deserve the most praise,” she went on “Those who were tempted and fell into the pit, and then fought tooth and nail to get out of it.”

Regina looked even more shocked by her understanding than she had been by her accusations, and flashed Belle a bittersweet smile.

“That child is very lucky to have you as its mother. Motherhood is Rumplestiltskin’s last gift to you, and believe me when I say it’s the best gift you’ll ever receive. It surely was for me,” Regina said, then she stood up and teleported away, vanishing into the night before Belle even had the time to wish her goodnight.

Belle sat on that bench for several more minutes, pondering the other woman’s words, one hand on her still flat belly. She hadn’t expected Regina to apologize, let alone to compliment her. If only she felt as strong as the other woman had said; as far as she could tell, Belle had merely been a spectator in her own life recently. From being used and tossed around as a pawn by everyone who wanted to get back at Rumple, to being literally frozen in place as her True Love died, to finally this pregnancy, which was wanted but _definitely_ unplanned; she hadn’t chosen anything. That was the first thing she needed to fix if she wanted to give her child their best chance; she needed to be stronger, to stand up for herself like she had done today with Regina. She needed to do it, no matter how hard it was, because now it wasn’t just herself that she needed to protect.

* * *

Neal was exhausted after the long drive from New York to Storybrooke, and he was glad that the situation in town was still calm enough to allow him to get some sleep. The peace, however, was short lived. When he woke up, Belle informed him that there had been strange sightings in the woods during the night.

“A cloaked figure was spotted by several people on patrol duty, and those that tried to get closer to it were either teleported away or thrown to the ground with magic,” she said over breakfast, pushing her food around her plate. “No one was seriously hurt, but everyone thinks that this is a sign that Zelena is moving. They are trying to find out who is under the cloak, but not even Ruby seems able to follow its trail.”

“Do you think it’s my father under the cloak?” Neal asked cautiously.

Belle sighed, setting her plate aside altogether. “I think it’s very likely. This cloaked figure isn’t even attacking us, it’s just going around ominously. I think it’s just a diversion, and what better diversion than to have us chase someone only to discover we can’t and won’t hurt him?”

“Have you told Snow about this?”

“Yes, I have, but she still thinks we ought to track it down, and I agree. If it’s not Rumple, maybe we can learn something more about the witch’s plan. If it’s him… at least we can know how he’s doing,” she said, twisting her napkin in her hands.

Under any other circumstances, she would have been out there looking for him herself. Zelena was controlling him through the dagger, but she already knew that her and Rumple’s love was stronger than his curse; if there was someone who could help him break free of the dagger’s hold, it was her. Maybe Neal could as well, but while she was sure that there was True Love between Rumple and his son, she also thought that their relationship was still too tentative to fight such powerful dark magic. Yet she couldn’t go trek in the woods this far along in her pregnancy, especially not when she knew that Zelena was coming after her baby.

“What really worries me isn’t that Snow and the others are tracking him down,” Belle added after a moment. “It’s that I don’t know what kind of orders that witch is giving him. What if she forces him to do something horrible, something he’ll have trouble forgiving himself for?”

Rumplestiltskin had been her prisoner for months now, and Belle only had the faintest idea of what she had been forcing him to do in that time. Every extra minute he spent under her control could be the one in which she made him cross the line, assuming she hadn’t already.

“Hey, he hasn’t had to cause any real harm so far, let’s focus on that. We will free him, I promise,” Neal reassured her.

“If only we had more time…” Belle murmured, caressing her large belly. Her son could be born any moment now, and Zelena would come for him. She had no idea of what would happen next, and she hoped she’d never find out.

“I know, and that’s why I’m going out to help Emma search the woods. I promise I’ll do anything to protect you and my little brother,” he said, smiling reassuringly at her.

He hugged her, then he left the pink mansion, stopping by his father’s shop to retrieve his old saber. Then he called Emma and they agreed to meet at the townline.

“Henry gave me hell this morning. He realized that something was wrong and kept insisting on coming with me. I left him with Granny, at least I know that someone is keeping an eye on him and he isn’t sneaking around and putting himself in harm’s way,” Emma told him as they started trekking through the woods.

“Yes, he definitely has a talent for that. I guess he takes after both of us,” Neal said, preferring to focus on the comical aspect of the whole thing rather than dwell on how much danger their son was in.

“It must run in your family. After all, your father is the one who decided to break into your apartment when we came looking for you in New York,” Emma observed.

“Are you telling me I should get my baby brother some lock-picking tools already?” Neal asked, chuckling.

Emma laughed with him, but their hilarity was short-lived. A shadow moved amidst the trees to their right, and they immediately ran after it. The cloaked figure waved a hand; Emma was engulfed by purple smoke and disappeared. Neal looked at the spot where she had been until a moment before, paralyzed by fear.

 _She has just been poofed away_ , he told himself. _She’s fine, probably on the other side of town, but unharmed_. He turned back, anger making him bold.

“What did you do to her?” he screamed, then launched himself at the cloaked figure, determined to find out who it really was, and possibly get some answers.

He shouldn’t have bothered; his opponent, instead of trying to run away as he’d expected, slowly raised his arms to lower his hood. When Neal saw who he was fighting against, Neal stopped dead in his tracks, his stomach in knots.

Belle had been right. The mysterious figure was indeed Rumplestiltskin, but only in part. There was very little of his papa in the deranged eyes of the imp in front of him. There was no fondness in his gaze, no torment over being controlled, no sign that he even realized who he was fighting against. His skin was once again covered in scales, his eyes reptilian and inhuman, and Neal felt as though one of his nightmares had just come to life.

The imp giggled maniacally as a sword materialized in its hands, and Neal wiped his clammy hands on his trousers as he realized that he’d have to fight the worst incarnation of his father. He didn’t know what had happened to him; his hope was that Zelena was simply forcing him to be like this to upset her enemies, but a part of Neal couldn’t help but fear that, after being imprisoned for so long, his father had simply succumbed to the curse.

He was so lost in his own fear that he almost failed to block Rumplestiltskin’s first attack. His instinct kicked in at the last moment, and the fight began. Even without using magic, Rumplestiltskin proved himself a great swordsman, and Neal soon found himself struggling against him, fatigue starting to slow down his movements while his father seemed unaffected, the curse providing him an unfair advantage. The situation was made even more difficult by the fact that Neal just wasn’t thinking clearly. Seeing his father like this had brought him back to his fourteenth birthday, awakening a fear he had thought long gone, and that was making it hard to concentrate on the fight. He felt despair starting to creep in; he couldn’t win this fight, he couldn’t stop Rumplestiltskin, he couldn’t run away. He was alone and alone he’d die. He thought of Henry, who was just starting to let him in again, and who didn’t deserve to grow up without a father. He thought of Rumplestiltskin, who would never forgive himself for harming his son while he was under the dagger’s influence. He thought of Belle, who had already gone through so much, and who would be devastated at losing him. Lastly, he thought of Emma, and of how he would leave her alone again.

Rumplestiltskin attacked him, and the sheer force of his blow was enough to make the saber fly out of Neal’s hands. Disarmed and defeated, Neal took a step back, his back colliding with a tree. That was it then. He would be killed by his own father, by the man he had loved and feared the most. Rumplestiltskin roughly grabbed him by the neck, and Neal closed his eyes, bracing himself for the worst.

It was in that moment that an anguished scream echoed through the forest.

“Papa NO!” Henry yelled, bursting out from behind the trees, Emma, Regina and Granny trailing right behind him.

 _Papa. Papa. Papa_. The word kept bouncing around Rumplestiltskin’s brain, becoming louder and louder, drowning out the voices in his head. He doubled over, cradling his head in his own hands and letting Neal go.

Neal rushed to hug his son, both terrified and relieved to have him here.

“Rumplestiltskin teleported me back to the loft,” Emma explained. “Henry refused to let me come back alone, and I didn’t have time to argue. I called Regina and she poofed us back here.”

Neal nodded in understanding, then he turned around to look at his father again. Rumplestiltskin looked confused, even more deranged than before, but there was something human in his distress, something that hadn’t been there before. He had dropped his sword to the ground, andwas eyeing them curiously. After a beat of silence, a single word escaped his lips.

“Bae.”

Neal stood paralyzed for a moment, almost not daring to believe it.

“Papa? You remember me?” Neal asked, taking a few tentative steps in his father’s direction.

That word again. _Papa_. Images flashed before Rumplestiltskin’s eyes, making the present more confusing but the past more clear. The tiny hand of a newborn touching his nose. A thin, fragile kid asking him why his mother wasn’t coming home. A boy screaming at him that he was a coward. A grown man hugging him and telling him he was nothing like Peter Pan. And above all, that word repeated over and over again: _Papa_. Rumplestiltskin staggered forward, towards the man he had been fighting until a few moments ago. He didn’t want to hurt him anymore. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t.

 _But you have to,_ another voice resonated in his head, a vicious whisper that made his skin crawl. _Fight him, scare him, be his nightmare,_ the voice went on, and Rumplestiltskin watched in horror as his hands moved against his own volition, working magic he didn’t want to perform. Everyone but Neal was paralyzed, and Rumplestiltskin grabbed his sword again, as Neal hurried to retrieve his saber. This time, however, there was no fear in Neal’s eyes.

“I know you’re in there. I know you can hear me. I don’t want to hurt you,” Neal said as his father attacked him again. Rumplestiltskin’s movements were slower now, his hands trembling; Neal hoped it was a sign that he was trying to stop himself.

“I know you’re being forced to do this. I know you’d never try to hurt me, as I know you’re not the monster I once feared you were turning into. I’m not scared of you anymore, I’m not scared _of the darkness_ anymore,” Neal insisted, as his father walked backwards, blocking his attacks with increasing difficulty.

Rumplestiltskin looked relieved when his sword finally slipped from his grip, falling to the ground. He looked at his son, struggling to quiet all the voices in his mind, to clear the fog just long enough to say something. He knew there was something important he needed to tell him, _many_ important things actually, but he couldn’t for his life make out what those were.

“I’m sorry,” was all he managed to murmur in the end. Then he vanished in a puff of smoke, Neal’s saber disappearing with him. Emma and the others were freed from his spell, and Neal rushed to their side.

“I was so scared for you,” Henry screamed, all but jumping in his arms.

“It’s okay, I’m alright,” Neal reassured him. “I don’t like the idea of you running around and putting yourself in harm’s way, but I have to admit that I probably wouldn’t have made it without you. Hearing you call me ‘Papa’ gave me strength.”

“Hey, I think I showed you on our way here that we work better as a team; plus I just found you, I’m not going to let some crazy monster take you away right now,” Henry said,almost embarrassed by his own display of affection. Just yesterday he had barely tolerated Neal’s presence, and now here he was, already calling him Papa. True, they had spent several hours just saving each other over and over again, but there was more to it. He knew that they had met during the months that he couldn’t remember, and he was sure that some part of those memories had been preserved; nothing else could explain the deep, visceral trust that he now felt towards his father, together with a great sense of belonging. He might not remember the time they’d spent together, but that didn’t make it any less real, and some part of him knew it.

Neal’s emotional rollercoaster wasn’t over yet. He had been utterly terrified, then conquered one of his greatest fears, and now his son was beaming up at him in pride, and he felt almost giddy with happiness. He leaned down to press a kiss on Henry’s forehead, hoping that he wasn’t overstepping, just desperate to let his son know how much he meant to him.

That’s when a burst of magic rippled from his lips, sweeping over the town in the form of a rainbow. The curse was broken, and Neal looked flabbergasted at his son while Henry staggered under the flood of memories.

“Papa!” he screamed again, wrapping his arms tighter around Neal. “I remember everything!”

Then he spotted Regina looking almost disbelievingly at him.

“Mom!” he said, running over to her.

Regina felt as though her heart had finally started beating again. She wrapped Henry in her arms, immediately noticing how much taller he had grown during the past nine months. Tears welled up in her eyes, but for once she didn’t mind; she had her son back, and for a moment Zelena didn’t look like much of a threat. So long as Henry was by her side, she felt she could do anything.

* * *

Rumplestiltskin poofed back into the cabin, his head still swirling in confusion as his aspect turned human again. 

“You did a great job,” Zelena complimented him as he staggered back into his cage, shying away from the dagger that she held against him. “I got everything I wanted, and even more.”

She had sent Rumplestiltskin out to collect a token of Neal’s courage, and the saber with which he defeated his greatest fear fit the description perfectly. What she hadn’t expected was a clue on how to get Rumplestiltskin out of his madness.

“Soon enough you’ll be fully sane again, and then you’ll see how wrong you were all those years ago. I want to see the despair in your face when you realize you should have chosen _me_ ,” she hissed at him, watching with satisfaction as fear glimmered in his eyes.

Zelena cackled as she walked away: like everyone else, Rumplestiltskin had just no idea of how much worse things were going to get.


	5. Quiet Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we learn how Rumplestiltskin was brought back from the dead, and what that meant for him.  
> In present-day Storybrooke, Belle has a very emotional day.  
> Zelena makes everybody miserable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter was at the same time relatively easy to write (and much shorter than I expected) but incredibly hard to edit, because I was so terrified of getting it wrong. I hope you'll like it, because I think it's one of the most important bits of the story.

_The Enchanted Forest, five months ago._

The man trembled before Zelena, his hands clenching nervously around the old key.

“So I just need to open that vault?” he asked, made suspicious by the apparent simplicity of the task.

“Yes. I believe even a monkey like you should be able to do that. Or should I give you a little incentive? Four children, three children… it doesn’t make much difference, does it?” Zelena threatened.

All color drained from the man’s face.

“No, please, you said you wouldn’t harm them,” he begged.

“I said I’d spare them _if_ you did as you were told. If you really want to keep them safe, stop asking stupid questions, and do what I say,” Zelena remarked.

He nodded nervously, then turned around and walked to the center of the clearing. It was a warm day, but the metal circle that marked the entrance to the vault was ice cold. He knelt beside the lock, brushing the dirt off of the opening, then took a deep breath and pushed the key inside.

The key seemed to catch fire, turning incandescent against his hand as the air filled with the stench of burned skin. He screamed, falling back as he let the key go, the pain so intense that at first he didn’t even notice the black, gooey substance coming out of the vault.

“What’s going on?” he asked, terror rising in him as he realized how difficult it was becoming to form words.

“Don’t you know that all magic comes at a price? I needed to bring someone back from the dead, so someone else needed to die. I promised your family would be safe, I never said anything about you,” Zelena cackled.

He collapsed to the ground, his vision blurring. The last thing he was aware of was the shape of a man emerging from the goo.

Zelena watched in awe as her old mentor was forcefully brought back from limbo as the peasant’s life force was transferred to him. Centuries before, an ambitious king had tethered the Dark One’s soul to this vault, so that not even death could ever free him of the king’s control. The spell he had crafted to bring the Dark One back had never been tested before, but Zelena had never doubted that she would succeed. She was surprised by Rumplestiltskin’s appearance once the spell was completed: he looked human now, but there was no doubt that he was still the Dark One: the dagger in his hands still bore his name. Just as Zelena had expected, he was barely conscious once the spell was completed; being brought back from the dead was bound to leave him weakened for some time. He collapsed to the ground and barely even flinched when she took the dagger from his trembling fingers.

“Zelena… no…” he murmured, but not even panic could give him the strength to fight back. He was completely at her mercy.

“Save you breath, _dearie_ ,” she said, kneeling down so that her face was mere inches from his. “You’re going to need all of your strength very soon.”

* * *

_Storybrooke, present._

Belle had been in the shop all day. Ever since they’d come back to Storybrooke she’d been checking the inventory to see if anything had gone missing or if something new had made its way to the shop. She had found nothing relevant so far, but the pawnshop was so filled with trinkets that it would take her several more days to finish the job. She didn’t mind though; she enjoyed the cozy quiet of the shop, and being surrounded by Rumplestiltskin’s things made her feel closer to him. Sometimes she could almost imagine he was fixing something in the back, and that at any moment he’d walk past the curtain and ask her if she wanted a cup of tea. It was a bittersweet thought, one that sometimes warmed her from the inside and at others left her in tears.

Today had been a bit of a rollercoaster. First the news about the cloaked figure in the woods, then the ripple of magic as the curse was broken, and not long after that Neal had walked in, telling her of his encounter with his father. Rumplestiltskin was clearly in some sort of confused state, but after a while he had recognized his son. Belle was determined to see it as good news: if Rumplestiltskin had improved slightly after such a short time with Neal, whatever had been done to him was probably reversible. It _had_ to be.

When her cellphone rang, Belle took a deep breath before answering, readying herself for the latest crisis.

“Hi Belle,” Emma said, her voice frustratingly neutral, carrying no hint of whether she was the bearer of bad or good news. “Are you sitting right now?”

Belle understood that Emma was just concerned for her and her baby, but even this short delay was hell on her nerves.

“Yes, now please just tell me what’s going on,” she all but begged.

“David and I just stopped a flying monkey from attacking Gold. The monster was chasing him through the woods, but while we dealt with the monkey Gold ran away from us too. He was confused, but he seemed to recognize me, or at least to remember that I’m on his side. He looked as though he was trying to say something but couldn’t bring himself to focus on it,” Emma explained. “We’re trying to track him down again, but I thought you needed to know immediately. The monkeys follow Zelena’s orders, they shouldn’t be attacking him. Either she lost control of them, or she lost control of Rumplestiltskin. Maybe he managed to get his hands on his dagger and escape. And if he did…”

“He’ll come to me,” Belle concluded for her, a smile forming on her lips. Her Rumple was coming back. He was coming _home_. “I’ll keep my eyes open, and I’ll be ready to face any flying monkey that might be chasing him. There’s more than enough magic in here to deal with them.”

“Still, I told Neal to join you at the shop. He has already been through enough today, and Gold will want to see him as well. If anyone can bring him back to his senses, it’s you two,” Emma said, her tone turning softer. She truly hoped things would turn out alright for them. She remembered what it was like, to be pregnant and scared, and she wouldn’t have wished that on her worst enemy, let alone Belle.

After hanging up the phone, Emma resumed her search with even more determination. She was the Savior, it was her duty to bring back the happy endings, and that now included Rumplestiltskin’s as well. She’d reunite him with his family, then they’d defeat Zelena together and Henry would be safe. That’s what she kept telling herself. It was a good mantra, but it didn’t stop the doubts from creeping up inside her, a dark thought she was completely unable to push back. _Safe, sure,_ her fear whispered, _but for how long?_

* * *

_The Enchanted Forest, after Rumplestiltskin’s resurrection._

Rumplestiltskin was going mad. He had no memories of what being dead felt like, but he was sure not even hell could be this bad. Zelena had confined him to a small cage in the great hall of his own castle, forbidding him from doing any magic, and laying helplessly in the dirt day after day was quickly chipping away at his sanity. Zelena had total control over his life; she could starve him for days just as she could force feed him, all while taunting him and mocking him for his weakness. His immortality prevented him from suffering any lasting damage, so he couldn’t even hope death would put an end to his misery.

Even the solace of sleep was eluding him. Dark Ones didn’t need to sleep, and the constant fear and frustration he was living with guaranteed to keep him awake at all times. Dark magic was simmering in his veins, begging to be released, not accustomed to being trapped for so long. Every day he found himself spending more and more time picturing Zelena’s death, the images becoming increasingly gruesome as the darkness inside of him mounted. Soon enough, his skin started to show the change, gradually going back to its old reptilian appearance.

“We’re the same, you and I,” Zelena commented one day, pointing at his now completely scaly skin. “Our skin reflects who we really are on the inside. No matter how much you try to fight me, how much you want to tell yourself that you’ve changed, the truth is that you’re every bit as dark as I am. We both revel in darkness, and you were a fool to push me away.”

A wave of the dagger sent him to his knees as Zelena entered the cage and sat on the stool in front of him. This was the part of his imprisonment that he hated the most. He tried to keep his breathing under control as Zelena put her fingers on his temples and started reading his mind. Under any other circumstances, he could have stopped her; searching someone’s memories and thoughts was a delicate process, requiring both the expertise of the reader and complete compliance of the subject. Zelena’s magic was strong enough to grant her access to his mind, but she took no care in making the process any less painful for him. Every time it felt as though his head was about to explode, but he was forbidden to fight back, and the witch only seemed to take pleasure in the whimpers that sometimes escaped his lips.

He collapsed to the floor once she left him alone, fighting to hold back the tears and retain what little was left of his dignity. As always, he tried to make sense of all the memories that had flashed through his mind as Zelena read them; there had to be a pattern, something she was looking for, and if he could figure it out then maybe he could find some leverage against her. It worried him to no end that she seemed particularly interested in his family; she was digging for information about Belle, Bae, Henry and Emma, and he dreaded to know why. If he couldn’t get free, he had to at least find a way to warn them. One day Zelena would make a mistake, no matter how tiny, and he’d make sure that was her downfall.

* * *

_Storybrooke, present day._

Belle had never been good at waiting. She wasn’t one to sit around and wait for something to happen, or for someone else to solve the problem, yet waiting was the only thing she could do right now. Considering how nervous she was, she had given up on taking inventory - lest she accidentally spill a potion or break some rare item- and tried to distract herself with a book, but it was the tenth time she had read the same page, and she still had no idea of what it said. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Neal looking worriedly at her, but there was nothing he could do to help.

The sound of the front door banging open made her jump in her seat. Rumplestiltskin stumbled over the threshold, crumpling to the floor. Belle rushed around the counter, kneeling with some difficulty by his side.

“Rumple? Rumple can you hear me?” Her voice choked with emotion as she caressed his face. His eyes were closed, and she could already feel herself panicking when she heard Neal’s voice.

“He’s breathing. He just fainted. He’ll be alright,” he told her, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She didn’t want to leave Rumplestiltskin on the floor, but with her belly making her even clumsier than usual there was no way she could carry him to the cot, even with Neal’s help.

They had to wait until Regina arrived and used her magic to move him. Thankfully she was prompt and soon Rumplestiltskin was resting comfortably on the cot in the back. Belle sat by his side, taking one of his hands in hers. There was dirt under his nails and over his suit, and he had lost weight since the last time she saw him. Still, he was alive and with her, and that was the only thing that mattered.

She held her breath when he finally stirred. She knew he wasn’t quite himself, but she had to see it with her own eyes. She needed to see how bad the situation was before she could attempt to improve it somehow. Rumplestiltskin looked around confused, clearly trying to make sense of his surroundings.

“Hey, Rumple… do you recognize me?” Belle asked, gently squeezing his hand.

Rumplestiltskin stared at their entwined hands for what felt like a lifetime.

“Light,” he said eventually, looking up to meet Belle’s gaze.

In that moment, Belle knew that they’d be alright. Rumplestiltskin might not have said her name, but he knew that she and Bae were his guiding lights. Rumplestiltskin was trying to come back to them, and now she had proof of it.

“It’s alright, Rumple. You’re safe now,” she said reassuringly.

Apparently, those were the wrong words. Rumplestiltskin immediately became nervous, sitting up and slipping his hand from her grasp.

“Not safe, _never_ safe,” he protested. “I must… warn you. Danger… Zelena… she’s coming for our baby.”

Every word seemed to cost Rumplestiltskin energy, and he took his head in his hands, on the verge of tears. The world was spinning around him, clearer than before and yet still so confused. He could feel cold sweat trickling down his neck, and he was starting to feel dizzy. The feeling of a warm, soft hand carding through his hair cut through his panic, anchoring him back to reality.

“Hey, hey it’s okay. You already warned us. You were incredibly brave, and without you we would have already lost,” the woman in front of him murmured, her voice soothing his fears just as much as Zelena’s presence fostered them. _Light_ , that was the first word that came to his mind when he looked at her, but he knew she had a name, one that was close to his heart, a name that he should remember. How could he had forgotten it? _Forget… forget… an accent you wouldn’t soon forget._ _Brown hair. Beautiful blue eyes._ _Her name is…_

“Belle,” he breathed out in relief, in joy, in recognition. Another piece of the puzzle was in place, and he felt peace like he hadn’t in weeks, maybe months.

“Yes, it’s me, I’m here, and our baby is safe,” she said, smiling brightly as she took one of his hands and placed it on her belly.

That contact seemed to light another spark of recognition in his brain. More and more memories came to his mind as the world once again started to make sense.

“Bae, where is Bae?” he asked. He needed his family to be complete, he needed them all to clear the fog away.

“I’m here Papa,” Neal said immediately, taking Rumplestiltskin’s free hand.

Memories flooded Rumplestiltskin’s mind as he held hands with those he loved the most. Separations and reunions, fights and tender moments, all characterized by the love that had guided him and shaped him into the person he was now.

Even if Belle hadn’t felt the tingle of magic go through her fingers, she could have pinpointed the exact moment in which Rumplestiltskin remembered by the look in his eyes.

“Belle… Bae,” he called their names again, emotional and disbelieving, then pulled them into a hug.

Rumplestiltskin was finally home.

* * *

_Regina’s palace, three months ago._

“I have a surprise for you,” Snow told Belle one day. “If you want, I can tell you if you’ll be having a boy or a girl. I’ve finally found Ruth’s locket, and I can guarantee it works.”

Belle was fascinated by the locket, and gladly took the offer. She wasn’t hoping for a boy or a girl in particular, but it would be nice to know in advance, and she watched with bated breath as the necklace dangled over her palm.

“North to South,” Snow observed, “It means it’s a boy. Congratulations.”

Belle smiled thankfully at her, as the image of a little boy with Rumple’s eyes formed in her mind. Snow had been extremely supportive of her during the past several months, and they had grown a lot closer. Belle was incredibly thankful for her and her other friends; thanks to them, she had found new happiness in her life, and the thought of Rumplestiltskin was starting to bring more melancholy than despair. She still cried herself to sleep sometimes, and she doubted she would ever be over him, but her life had to go on, for her sake just as much as for her child’s.

The sound of the large windows bursting open made everyone in the room startle. Zelena flew through the open window and dismounted her broom, and then beside her appeared…

“Rumple,” the name left Belle’s lips in a choked whisper. After months of believing him dead, her True Love was in front of her. He was real, he was alive, and his dagger was in Zelena’s hands. David drew his sword, and a fireball formed in Regina’s hand, but before any of them could take action they were all frozen in place by a spell.

“Belle,” Rumple called to her, his voice full of despair. Then his gaze moved to her belly, and his eyes widened in surprise and horror. “You… you’re…”

“Yes, your little maid is pregnant with your child, why are you so surprised? Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you; I’ve known for _months_ ,” Zelena taunted him, and Belle felt white, hot rage course through her veins.

“Shush now, we didn’t come here for a family reunion. We came here to deliver a message,” Zelena went on, and Belle could see how Rumplestiltskin’s body tensed with her command, how abruptly his jaw slammed shut. Belle wasn’t sure if she had ever felt such fury before. She didn’t just want to get the dagger back from Zelena; she wanted to _hurt_ her, and that wasn’t a sensation she was familiar with. All thoughts of revenge left her mind, however, when Zelena strode directly towards her and laid one hand on her belly. Trapped and unable to react, Belle could hardly hear Zelena’s words over the desperate, terrified beating of her heart.

“You see, I have a spell in mind, and your child is exactly what I need for it. So take care of it for me, because I’ll be back for your happy day,” Zelena gloated, her lips spreading in a smile that made Belle feel sick. She wanted to scream and run away, to get rid of Zelena and wrap her arms around Rumple, but all she could do was stare at the witch with wide eyes, unable to hide the utter terror in them.

Zelena and Rumplestiltskin vanished, the spell was lifted, and Belle staggered forward, her legs threatening to give out. She had just found out that her True Love was alive, but that joy had turned to ash in front of her eyes. Fear was drowning out all of her thoughts: if she didn’t do something, she was going to lose her child.

* * *

_Storybrooke, present day._

“I’ve dreamt of this moment for so long,” Belle breathed, eventually pulling back from their family hug.

Neal, feeling suddenly awkward, decided to join Regina in the front of the shop. He had come a long way with his father, but he was definitely not ready to see him be all sappy with his girlfriend; and he was one-hundred percent sure that his father was the sappiest, most foolishly romantic man in the world.

“I knew that our love could beat Zelena. That _you_ could,” Belle went on as Neal left the room.

“Your unwavering faith constantly astounds me,” Rumplestiltskin replied, his voice breaking with emotion. There were tears in both his and Belle’s eyes, and after so long apart he simply couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to hold her close and never let go, to bury his nose in her hair and forget the world. They both leaned forward at the same time, desperate for the kiss that they had been denied for too long. When their lips were only a breath apart, however, Rumplestiltskin abruptly pushed her back.

“Run,” he said in a whisper, his voice suddenly panicked.

“What?” Belle asked, confused. It didn’t make sense, everything was going so well.

“Run!”

Rumplestiltskin screamed this time, but Belle barely managed to get to her feet before Zelena appeared beside Rumplestiltskin, the dagger held firmly in one hand, her cruel laughter sending chills down Belle’s spine.

“Don’t mind me. I was just enjoying the show,” Zelena taunted, roughly grabbing a fistful of Rumplestiltskin’s hair and forcing him to look at her. “I’m sorry to ruin such a sickeningly sweet reunion, but I’m afraid Rumple and I have a lot of things to do. Thank you for bringing him back to sanity, by the way.”

“You knew. You set this all up. You set him free knowing that Bae and I could heal him,” Belle accused her, realization hitting her with the force of a truck. She could hardly believe how stupid she had been; with Zelena holding the dagger, it was ridiculous to think that Rumple could have escaped, but she had been so blinded by her own feelings that she had failed to notice all the red flags, and she had played right into Zelena’s hands.

“You heroes are _so_ predictable; all I had to do was set him free and make him forget about it,” Zelena gloated.

“You made a huge mistake,” Rumplestiltskin growled. “Now that my mind is clear, it’s only a matter of time before I get that dagger back and run it through your chest.”

“You know you can't hurt me, but you're more than welcome to try. I do so enjoy watching futility wreck a man's will. Now be a good little Dark One, and get back to your cage,” Zelena said, pressing the dagger against Rumplestiltskin’s face.

Belle could see him tense at the contact, and saw the struggle in his eyes, how strongly he tried to fight the command, but to no avail. After one last, desperate glance at Belle, Rumplestiltskin disappeared in a puff of smoke. Zelena followed, and a beat later Neal and Regina barged in from the other room.

“She caught us by surprise and paralyzed us. What happened here, where is my father?” Neal asked immediately, kneeling beside Belle, who had collapsed into the nearest chair.

She wanted to tell him, but the more she tried the harder it was to form words past the lump in her throat. It hurt. It hurt to be this helpless. It hurt to think of the despair in Rumplestiltskin’s eyes, and how she hadn’t been able to do anything for him. It hurt to know that, despite all her efforts, she could never make things right. She wanted to be a hero, but the truth was that she was more of a liability. Her sobs grew louder and louder as the weight of what had just happened came crashing down on her, until a sudden pain in her low abdomen turned her despair into shocked horror.

“Belle? Belle, what’s wrong?” Neal asked frantically, worried by the sudden change in her expression.

Belle’s voice came out hoarse and feeble, each word dripping with fear.

“I think I’m going into labor.”


End file.
